Stranger in the Elevator
by celesticbliss
Summary: What happens between two strangers in a broken, dark, crowded elevator? What happens after? Collab with AcrossTheSkyInStars.  Chapters are being posted again!
1. Lust

**Title: Stranger in the Elevator**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters or settings in this story.**

**This story was originally a oneshot written for the Fun With Your Clothes On contest. Sadly, it didn't place. But, I got an amazing response from it so I've decided to make it full length! I will not be the only one though, I've decided to colab with one of my favorite writers AcrosstheSkyinStars! She will be bringing you every EPOV chapter! Don't forget to give her stories a look, link on my profile! **

**So stay tuned, this will be continued very very soon!**

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_If I'm smart then I'll run away_  
_But I'm not so I guess I'll stay_  
_Heaven forbid_  
_I'll take my chance on a beautiful stranger_

_Madonna- Beautiful Stranger_

_..._

**_BPOV_**

Newton Enterprises was my own personal version of hell. Living in New York was expensive though, so I had no choice but endure it. My sentence to hell included serving my time for unknown sins as the assistant to a very handsy, slightly beer-gutted, coffee-breathed man named Michael Newton. Mr. Newton was a prime candidate to be the next star for some male-pattern baldness infomercial. Unfortunately, he also happened to be the owner's son.

The economy was god awful and my photography hobby wasn't bringing home the bacon, so to speak. I was barely affording my studio apartment as it was so Newton Enterprises was where I ended up; running copies, arranging meetings, and making bitter coffee.

_Oh, what a sweet life I live._

It was an amazingly sunny seventy-four degrees outside on a beautiful Friday, and I was at work buried up to my neck in errands.

It was well past lunchtime when Angela stopped by my desk to bring me a sandwich. She raised an eyebrow, questioning my lunch-skipping ways. I nodded toward my computer monitor that had twenty-four minimized screens. I smiled a thank you as she walked back to her own desk.

An IM popped up on my screen moments later.

_AWeber: Gossip!_

_ISwan: Make it fast. I'm swamped. I can't believe you are IMing me when I just saw you twelve seconds ago._

_AWeber: I had to. I didn't want to talk about this out loud!_

_ISwan: Alright, spill it._

_AWeber: We got a batch of new hires today!_

_ISwan: And…?_

_AWeber: Hello! Fresh meat! One guy in particular. My God, he is sex on loafers. I think his name was Ben. He works in IT._

I couldn't help but laugh softly to myself. Angela was as innocent as they came and adorably so. I was happy she had someone to chase.

_ISwan: lol, good for you, Ang._

_AWeber: Seriously, Bells, you have got to come up with a reason to go downstairs and check these guys out. There are only two girls in the group, but they seemed nice enough._

_ISwan: Maybe Monday Ang. I'm getting back to work._

_AWeber: Party pooper. Call me after work, I sense a Caribou Lou in my future._

I closed the window and returned to working on the meeting schedule printout Mr. Newton liked to have on his desk every Friday afternoon. Three carpal-tunnel-inducing hours passed before I finally had the sweet satisfaction of turning off my computer.

I stretched and followed the eager crowd to the elevator. I wasn't the only one ready for the weekend. Normally, I would have opted for the stairs to avoid the crowds going toward the elevator, but I was carrying my weight in paperwork home with me for the weekend.

I called out for the crowd to hold the doors for me, but my plea went ignored.

"Great," I muttered to myself.

The doors came to a close just as I approached them.

"Nice people around here, huh?" a velvet voice mused from behind me.

I turned my head to acknowledge him. The sight of the incredibly attractive stranger standing so close to me had my mountain of paperwork falling to the floor.

"Shit!" I yelled, bending over to gather my papers as the elevator dinged open.

The mystery man bent down to help me pick them up, a crooked smile pulling at his lips.

"Oh, jeez, don't worry about me. Go ahead and catch the elevator."

He laughed musically. "Don't be silly. There will be another one."

My cheeks heated, splashing my face with crimson. "Thanks…?"

"Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you," he replied, holding out a stack of papers to add to my pile. After I gathered my papers in a rather disastrous mess, he held out a hand to help me to my feet.

I froze as my gaze lifted, meeting the depth of the green eyes staring back at me. I was literally eye-raping this complete stranger.

His hair was a beautiful, worn rust color – long enough to make me fantasize about what it looked like when it wasn't neatly combed. He had on a crisp, white, button-down shirt and a black tie that he had loosened at the end of the day. His green eyes were a hypnotizing emerald and he had a smile that never faded.

"Bella Swan," I said as confidently as I could, "nice to meet you too."

A crowd formed around us as we stood side by side, waiting to get onto the elevator as well.

Edward held his hand out to the open doors. "Ladies first."

When Edward came onto the elevator after I did, he stepped in behind me.

_Thank God. I need to stop staring at him before I embarrass myself any further._

I was forced to take a step back to allow the last few people into the confined space. I felt heat coming from Edward's body. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip, mentally listing the reasons that taking him right here in front of everyone was a bad idea.

The doors closed with a soft ding as Muzak played in the background.

I watched as the numbers on the screen decreased, indicating our descent.

18…17…16…15…

The most deafening noise erupted around us. If I imagined several cars driving at intense speeds directly towards each other, the noise our elevator made as it shuddered to a stop would be the exact noise the cars made upon impact.

I stumbled backwards into Edward and his hands gripped my waist to steady me. The second the satisfaction of feeling his hands on me hit, the lights fluttered to darkness above us. The emergency lights flickered then died out as well.

Panic ensued around us, but the only thing I felt was Edward's firm body against my backside.

The man closest to the control panel, I think his name was Jasper, was the first to speak above the scared murmurs. "I hit the emergency button on the panel, everyone. It shouldn't be long before help arrives."

Calm washed over the crowd when a voice came onto the speaker. "Hope you folks are okay. We had to shut the power off to work on the cables. The emergency generators seem to have a bug, but we're working on those to give you some light. Sit tight and get comfortable. We're working as fast as we can, but it could take a little bit."

The people on the elevator broke out into individual conversations. Nobody seemed to be panicking anymore, just irritated.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness as much as they were going to. The only thing I could make out were black silhouettes around me. The form in front of me took a small step back which, in turn, made me mould my body further into Edward's.

I let out a small gasp when Edwards's hands wrapped around my waist. I swore I could feel a hint of arousal on my ass. The dark room gave me a sense of confidence. I wanted to know if that was what I was feeling, so I rotated my hips against his groin.

His hands tightened around my waist.

_Oh yeah, I was right. Dear God, this man is gifted._

I felt his fingers grab the back of my skirt and pull it up.

His lips were centimeters from my ear when he whispered softly enough so only I could hear, "Take a step forward if you'd like me to stop, Bella."

To answer him, I rotated my hips against him again, earning a guttural moan from behind me. He pulled my skirt up further and bunched it around my waist. His hands traveled north, unbuttoning the single, large button on my blazer and dancing under the hem of my silk shirt. I responded again by pushing my panty-covered backside into his hard cock.

His cool hand traveled up my stomach until it reached the bottom part of my bra. I felt his thumb slip under the material and graze my nipple which hardened with his touch.

His other hand, still wrapped around my waist, pulled me against him again. This time, he ground himself into me. I felt my entire breast in his hand and glanced around me to see if we had an audience.

Luckily, no one was paying any attention to us. I longed to touch him, but my hands were full, still holding my stack of paperwork. I barely had room to move, let alone set my things on the crowded floor.

As if the man in front of me was a mind-reading angel, he moved forward to talk to the girl in front of him. I bent down and placed my stack on the floor in front of me.

As I was bent over, Edward fell to his knees and pressed his lips to the crotch of my wet panties. Half of the elevator must have heard my gasp, despite my failed attempts at covering it with coughing sounds.

I felt Edward's tongue follow the length of my slit as his teeth ground into my clit through the fabric. I wanted nothing more than to strip both of us right now and have him pound into me with the wall at my back.

Edward returned to his feet, letting his hands caress the outsides of my thighs on his way up. Before I could stand all the way, he pulled me back against him.

_If I stay in this position any longer, I am going to rip my panties off myself._

Once I stood up, Edward wasted no time in returning his hands under my bra; rubbing his thumbs over my nipples, impatiently kneading the soft skin. This time, though, there was no masking the moan that slipped from my lips.

"Everyone is going to hear you," he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. "Everyone is going to know that you're letting me ravage you—a complete stranger…in an elevator."

His words only made me breathe faster and press harder against him. I was complete putty in this capable stranger's hands; I could barely think.

Then, I felt his mouth on me. His tongue ran down the length of my throat, the pace slow and erotic. I squirmed against him in arousal and he pressed a kiss on the spot where my neck met my shoulder, sucking lightly as a shiver ran up my spine.

_I am going to come._

He thrust into me, hard.

_Oh, Jesus!_

Again.

_Oh, my fucking God!_

The next thrust sent another delicious shiver down my spine. I was close to coming undone.

I put my hand over his on my breast and squeezed. The sensation was almost painful but it felt amazing.

Another thrust. I tried not to gasp out loud, but failed miserably. This was it.

I felt myself teetering over the edge. Edward's body was tense behind me. I knew he was close too.

"Alright, folks, Looks like things are under control. We're going to turn the lights back on in a moment and lower the elevator to the next floor and let you out there."

Edward's hand dropped from my shirt as I pulled my skirt back down.

_Fuck! This cannot be happening._

I didn't bother buttoning my blazer back up. I didn't give a shit about my appearance at that moment. Edward cleared his throat behind me but I didn't have the guts to say anything to him.

I shielded my eyes when the lights finally flickered on and grabbed a hold of the bar attached to the wall for support when the elevator started to lower. When the doors dinged open on the next floor, I was the first one out.

I pushed my way past the firefighters and engineers, ignoring their questions about how I was. The only thing on my mind was getting down the stairs and into the parking garage.

I got halfway down the stairs before I realized that my stack of papers was still on the elevator.

_So not worth it. Fuck this job._

I continued flying down the stairs and burst through the parking garage doors, walking quickly to my little red car.

I fumbled in my purse, looking for my keys. I reminded myself to clean out my stupid Narnia-style bag when I got home.

"That eager to go?" his velvet voice asked from behind me.

I turned to face him. He stood there, smiling timidly, holding out my stack of papers as a peace offering. His appearance was considerably more rumpled than before and I bit my lip, looking away.

"Look, Edward…" I began, taking my paperwork from him, "I'm-I'm not that kind of girl. Just…forget about what happened. I'm not some office slut you can feel up whenever you like."

He looked completely appalled.

"Bella, I just chased you down fourteen flights of stairs, holding your enormous stack of whatever the fuck that is," he paused and stepped a bit closer, "do you really believe that's what I think?"

My face continued to burn. "I'm just not that kind of girl," I went on, "I knew your name for two minutes before you skipped to third base! You didn't even touch first!"

I barely had time to exhale before I felt Edward's hands on either side of my face, pulling me to him. His soft lips engulfed mine in the sweetest kiss I had ever experienced in my life.

He pulled away before the kiss could deepen but stayed close. "_There_ is first base. I'd like to wait for second base until after our date tonight, if that's okay?"

"Date? Where did you even come from?" I realized that I had never even seen this man in the office before.

"IT, I just got hired today."

_Angela, I will never doubt you again._

"Here's my address. Pick me up at eight. "

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**A/N: THANKYOU! To my two betas for this chapter. CullenLovingMom & Life-In-The-Shape-Of-A-Girl**


	2. Chastity

**This chapter is being brought to you by my partner in crime/Collab writer AcrosstheSkyinStars! Let me tell ya, she writes a HOT Edward! **

**Thanks to the Beta for this chapter- ClaireBloom 3**

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"Strangers...waiting, up and down the boulevard

Their shadows, searching in the night

Streetlights...people, living just to find emotion"

-Journey: Don't Stop Believing

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**e.p.o.v**

I loosened my tie further as I walked away from Bella. My heart was pounding in my chest, like it had been since I'd first put my hands on her waist in the elevator. My body had known far quicker than my brain that it wanted the beautiful woman standing in front of me.

All it took was the darkness for me to acknowledge what I was about to do to a complete stranger.

I carded my fingers through my hair as I rounded the corner, taking a second to stop and breathe. What happened in the elevator was...unreal. It was the most exhilarating thing I'd ever done in my life and I couldn't believe Bella had gone along with it. I had tried to rationalize what I was doing in my head, but I realized it was simply impulsive.

Bella was beautiful and sexy, and with the cloak of obscurity surrounding us, I was helpless to resist her.

I watched from where I was standing as she got into her little, red car and backed out, heading onto the main street. I thought maybe my heart would quit thumping irregularly, but it didn't. I couldn't stop replaying what I had done in my head, and each time I did, all I could see and hear was Bella; her sweet, brown eyes; her long, dark hair, the soft, breathy noises that came from her mouth.

"Edward!"

I turned my head, my thoughts interrupted by Jasper as he jogged over to me from the crowd of people who had also been trapped in the elevator. His suit jacket was slung over his shoulder, his bright orange tie undone around his neck as he slowed down and casually approached me.

"Hey," I said with a nod.

He put his arm around my shoulder, looking about discreetly before he whispered, "You totally felt that chick up in the elevator, didn't you?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I narrowed my eyes at him. "No," I lied.

"Bull_shit,_" he said with a chuckle, "I saw you eye-fucking her before we even got in there."

I pursed my lips to stop from smiling because, well, he was right. Jasper was my best friend and my roommate...he knew me better than anyone. I was thankful he had been able to help me get a job at Newton's publishing company because none of my leads had pulled through.

Who knew I'd round third on my first day?

"Okay," I acquiesced with a shrug, "fine! Maybe I felt her up a little."

Jasper laughed as he clapped me on the back, "Atta boy."

I shook my head and followed him as he took off towards the car, bobbing his head of messy, blond hair to a phantom tune. He bent down as he approached the passenger door, checking his teeth in the side mirror.

"What on Earth are you doing?" I asked as I pulled my keys from my pocket.

"Checkin' my pearly whites," he said sarcastically, "I'm going out to the bar, wanna come?"

"Uh, no," I replied offhandedly. I unlocked the doors to the pretentious, black Audi that had been my graduation present and slipped inside.

"Why not?" Jasper asked as he got into the passenger seat. "Some people from work are coming. I think those two chicks who were in your batch of hires are going to be there, and they were very...," he waggled his eyebrows as he trailed off, gesturing obscenely with his hands.

I rolled my eyes before laughing at him anyway.

"Come on," he prodded, "a few drinks."

"I can't," I retorted, "I...I have a date tonight."

"A date?" he repeated, "With who?" I shot him a sideways glance and he laughed, "No way! The elevator chick? Jesus," he said, giving me a subtle smirk as he tossed his jacket into the back seat, "that must have been some foreplay."

I put the car into reverse, muttering under my breath, "You have no idea."

.

.

I dropped Jasper off at the bar on the way home, thankful to be rid of his near constant chirps about Bella. It may have been an extremely unusual circumstance under which we'd met, but I was eager to go out on this date. Though we hadn't known each other for very long, I liked what I had seen so far. And not just the fact that she had done some particularly indecent things with me in an elevator full of people.

Despite that, she seemed...sweet; unbelievably sexy, but sweet.

I wanted to get to know her better.

I pulled into the lot of our building, next to Emmett's beast of a Jeep which he never used. Trying to find decent parking in New York was just as much of a hassle as driving, and he usually always walked or took a cab. I don't even know why he still had it.

Emmett, whom I had met along with Jasper in our second year of college at NYU, was my other roommate. We had been living together since then, going on six years. I loved them like brothers, they were the best guys I had ever met, but sometimes I wanted to throttle them.

It turned out that today was _definitely _one of those days, because when I walked in the front door of our loft, Emmett yelled out, "Dude! Tell me about the elevator hussy!"

I groaned, dropping my messenger bag to the floor. Jasper was a dead man.

"There's nothing to tell," I shouted in response.

He snorted, "Pussy."

I rolled my eyes. "I assume Jas already told you everything, so what does it matter?" I shot back. I kicked off my shoes and headed into the living room, where Emmett was lounging on the couch with a beer in one hand and the TV remote in the other. He took a sip, tossing the remote onto the couch.

"You know that fucker always exaggerates things," he said with a grin, "I want to know what happened."

I huffed as I sat down on the couch, putting my feet up on the coffee table. "I don't know...I met her when I was waiting for the elevator, and I helped her pick up some things. We got on...lights went out..."

I paused, not knowing what else to say.

"And...?" Emmett hedged.

"And what?" I replied with a shrug, "One thing led to another, you know how it goes."

"Uh-huh," he said in amusement, "for me, 'one thing led to another' never occurred in an _elevator_ full of people." I laughed at the retort and he continued, "Maybe in public, but never _that _public. I can't believe people didn't call you out on it. I would have."

I shook my head, "Yeah...you would have."

"Yep," he said with another sip of his beer.

"But that's because you're an asshole," I quipped.

He smirked, "Yep."

I smirked back, nudging him in the ribs. He swatted me in return and I dodged his hands, laughing as the low volume on the television caught my ears. I looked at the screen, scoffing as I turned my attention on Emmett.

"Really, Em," I asked, pointing to the TV, "porn? What time is it?"

He checked his watch, crossing his arms over his chest before he responded, "Six thirty-seven, and your point is...?"

I laughed, "Never mind."

The girl in the porno moaned loudly and my gaze travelled back to the screen. Her tiny, slim body and her dark, brown hair slammed me with memories of Bella. The softness of her skin and the sweetness of her perfume were ingrained in my mind, and I found it hard to peel my eyes away from the girl who resembled her.

_Why? Why did she have to be a brunette?_

I watched intently, pulling my tie over my head as an overly-tanned surfer-dude took the tiny brunette against a wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moaned again, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. She reminded me so much of Bella that I was starting to...

Well, you get what I mean.

All I knew was I needed a shower..._now. _

I stood quickly, taking the stairs two at a time as I called to Emmett, "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Thanks for the heads up," Emmett hollered back, "you gonna give me a play-by-play or save that for your diary?"

I shook my head, snickering as I looked down over the banister and replied, "Why don't you save the sarcasm for someone who gives a shit?"

I shut the bathroom door behind me, locking it as I undressed. I was unbelievably hard by the time I stepped into the shower, hissing as the hot water touched my cock and made the ache in my stomach burn.

I put one hand on the wall, using the other to tightly grip my cock at the base. I palmed the head, groaning quietly before using swift, long strokes. Water fell onto my face and I shook out my hair, bowing my neck as I squeezed my eyes shut and conjured up some extreme visuals of Bella.

I pictured her with her clothes off, all of her soft skin on display for me. I pictured taking her like the surfer-dude took the brunette against the wall, having her legs wrapped around my back. I pictured her on top, her hair falling down around us as she gasped in pleasure.

Reaching my orgasm didn't take long considering the day I'd had. I stifled a groan as I came, making a fist against the tiled wall and absently spitting water from my mouth as it trickled in. I felt better when I was done and quickly finished my shower, washing up before I got out.

Since I wasn't going to work, I didn't bother styling my hair. I took a brush to it and dried it vigorously, deciding it looked fairly decent and probably wouldn't get any better unless I put product in. I padded down the hall to my room, closing the door and dropping the towel as I searched for something to wear.

I went for a casual look, dressing in jeans and a plain, grey t-shirt before going back downstairs. Emmett was still watching porn, sipping on his beer as his large frame was now sprawled out on the couch. I rolled my eyes at his indolence; apparently having a few days off translated to being a bum.

"Have you even showered since you've been off?" I asked curiously, though I wasn't sure if I really wanted the answer.

He sighed, "Nope."

"Awesome," I cringed, "anyway...as lovely as you seem, I'm gonna go."

Emmett snickered, "For your _date _with the elevator hussy."

"She's not a hussy," I countered irritably, "and yes, for my date."

"Whatever, man," he replied, "see yah."

I grabbed what I needed from my bag and slipped on a pair of shoes before heading out the door. I was more than a little annoyed with how Jasper and Emmett were treating this whole situation. I know how it looked, really, I did, but it bothered me that they thought Bella was a slut. I knew that type of girl, the self-righteous whores who threw themselves at you because it was all they had.

I also knew Bella wasn't like that. I didn't know much about her, but it was just something you could tell about a person. I could already tell Bella wasn't the type to throw herself at someone.

She seemed the exact opposite.

The sun was setting as I stepped outside, casting a soft, purple glow over the city. It wasn't time for me to pick up Bella yet but I had a stop to make first. I felt like an ass for what happened earlier, no matter how much I enjoyed it, and I wanted to do something small to make it up to her. I wanted to make her smile.

I stopped at a flower stand on the way to her apartment, picking out a simple, red daisy. I didn't want to get her a full bouquet because that seemed like tacky first date etiquette, but I wanted to get her something to show her I was sorry.

Sort of like an 'I'm sorry for the impromptu feel-up in the elevator' flower.

I thought a daisy would suffice.

I followed the directions she gave me, making sure I had the right place before I pulled into the lot, _early_. I didn't want to seem too eager so I sat in the car for ten minutes, listening to the radio and watching the blur of traffic go by.

When I felt it was appropriate, I went to the front doors and buzzed the apartment that said _B. Swan._

"Hello?" she answered.

I smiled, "Hey...it's Edward."

"Oh hey," she replied, "uh...I'm still getting ready, so come on up."

She buzzed me in and I decided to take the stairs up to her fourth floor apartment. When I knocked, she answered almost immediately. Apparently I had forgotten just how attractive she really was, because she looked stunning. Although she was incredibly hot in her work clothes, all sophisticated and done-up, I thought she looked ten times sexier in dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

_Humble and beautiful._

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hi," I replied a little dumbly, "you look..."

I widened my eyes, finding it hard to take them off her. She ran her fingers over her lips before brushing them through her hair, looking at me just as intently as I was looking at her. I could have sworn I had seen her blush and I smirked at the sight.

"Thanks," she said, "so do you. Come in." She stepped aside and allowed me to enter. I turned to her as she closed the door, offering the flower I had gotten her. "Edward," she said with an adorable grin, "you didn't have to get me anything."

She gently took it and looked up at me as she twirled the stem between her fingers.

"It's not exactly a first date thing," I told her, "it's more of an 'I'm sorry' thing." She quirked her brow in interest and I continued, "I mean...for earlier, at work."

"Ah," she replied, "sort of an 'I'm sorry for feeling you up' thing?"

I nodded, a little embarrassed, "Yeah."

She smiled, "Well thank you, either way. It's beautiful." I smiled back and she said, "Just let me put this in water and grab a few things, then we can go. You can sit in the living room if you want, make yourself comfortable."

With that, she was gone.

I chuckled as she took off around the corner, admiring her studio apartment as I followed the small hallway down to the kitchen and living room. Bella put the daisy in water and gave me another quick smile before she disappeared, closing the curtain that separated her bedroom from the rest of the apartment.

Her place was nice, a lot nicer than mine. It wasn't nearly as big as the loft, but she had furnished it well, she'd made use of the space she had. Our place, it was a lot less...organized. Bella's was stylish and modern while ours actually _looked _like three guys lived there.

I walked around the living room, curiously scanning the pictures on her walls and tables. I found plenty of Bella with who I assumed to be her parents, then others with people who looked to be friends. While she had many sentimental photos, she also had various city and landscape snapshots which appeared professionally done; some of them were extraordinary.

Bella returned a few minutes later, apologizing for making me wait.

"Really, its fine," I assured with a wave of my hand, "I was preoccupied anyway."

"Oh?" she asked, intrigued.

"The photos," I pointed to the walls, "they're really well done. Where did you get them?"

Bella walked over to where I had pointed and studied the ones I was referring to. She cracked a small smile before licking her lips. "These ones?" she asked. When I nodded, she replied, "I took those. In college I got really into photography...I love it."

"Jesus," I said in awe, "they're amazing, Bella."

When she blushed again at the compliment, all I could think about was kissing her – a lot. "Thanks," she murmured.

She led me out of the apartment, telling casually of how her college roommate had gotten her into photography and actually inspired her to minor in it. She was animated as she spoke, using subtle hand gestures when she was trying to explain things, or when she simply didn't know what to do with them. Our conversation carried on as we got onto the elevator and I was glad she was easy to talk to. It made the whole situation much less awkward.

But when she abruptly cast her eyes to the ground as we descended, it dawned on me where _exactly _we were. I leaned back against the wall, blowing out a nervous breath.

So much for it _not_ being awkward.

"I promise to keep my hands to myself," I vowed.

She laughed, "It's not that, I just...I don't think I'll ever be able to ride an elevator again without...you know..."

I nodded, "Yeah, I know. I actually took the stairs on the way up." She tilted her head in acknowledgement and I asked, "So...what'd you want to do tonight?"

She glanced up at me, her expression questioning as she replied, "Would you think it horribly cliché of me if I suggested something like dinner and a movie?"

I smirked, "Maybe a little." She made a funny face, scrunching her nose up adorably before I added, "But that sounds perfect. You pick dinner and I'll pick the movie?"

"Sure," she said, exiting the elevator as it opened to the lobby. I held open the front door for her and she turned slightly, asking, "Do you like sushi?"

"I love sushi," I told her honestly.

"I know this awesome place about fifteen blocks away," she explained, "is that okay?"

I nodded in agreement as we went around to the parking lot. She shivered and drew her arms up to her chest, wrapping them around her torso. Since it was a little chilly, I took the opportunity to put my arm around her shoulder and asked, "Are you cold?"

She nodded, "Kind of. I...I didn't even think to bring a jacket."

"I have one in the car," I replied. "You can have it."

I saw her smile as she turned her body into mine, leaning against me as we walked. I rubbed my hand over her arm, partly because I wanted her to warm up, and partly because I liked the contact. She relaxed into me a little more, obviously enjoying it too.

We parted when we got to the parking lot. I popped open the trunk, grabbing my jacket for her as she stood and admired the car. She barely even noticed when I put it around her shoulders.

"Nice ride," she said in appreciation. I draped the collar of the jacket in towards her chest, crossing both sides so she would be covered. Bella reached up, placing her hands over mine as I stood behind her. "Thank you," she said softly.

"It's nothing," I replied. I leaned in a bit closer, hoping to initiate something, maybe a soft peck on the cheek or maybe a quick kiss. I think Bella sensed my intentions because she cleared her throat, giving my hands a gentle squeeze before she stepped forward.

_Too soon._

"How much did something like this cost?" she asked semi-awkwardly, trying to ignore what had just happened, "because I want to get a new car. Mine...it's looking a little old lately."

I tried to ignore it too, though all I wanted to do was kiss her. "I don't really know," I replied, "I didn't exactly pay for it."

She feigned shock and playfully asked, "Did you steal it? Like grand theft auto or something?"

I laughed, "Yeah, I jacked it just before I picked you up." She bit the corner of her lip to keep the smile from her face and I shook my head, "It was a...present, I guess, from my parents. They gave it to me when I graduated from college."

"They _gave _you this?" she wondered incredulously, "For graduating?"

I shrugged, "Yeah?"

"Whoa," she replied, "all I got was flowers. You must be loaded."

She slipped into the passenger's seat, zipping up the jacket as I got into the driver's seat. I frowned at what she had said. I had never considered myself 'loaded'. My parents had money, yes, but I didn't. The car was the nicest thing I owned, and was one of the very few things I had accepted from them after I moved out for college.

I'd had a lot of expensive things growing up, I was a spoiled kid. I'll admit it was easy to get what I wanted but I changed as I grew up. I didn't want it to be easy anymore. I didn't want to use money to make my way through life. Being privileged as child left me wanting independence and separation, especially from who my parents were and from who I was.

I think it was why I wanted to do my own thing, I wanted to _earn _it. I didn't want everything to be handed to me on a silver platter.

"I'm not exactly loaded," I replied as I backed out of the space, "my parents are."

"Ergo, you're loaded," Bella countered with a smirk. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I'm just saying."

I shrugged, "It's not like I use their money and have a nice place. Yours is actually nicer than mine." She cocked her brow and I smiled, "Honestly, it is. I live with two other guys and it's the biggest disaster zone sometimes. I don't live in a mansion and I don't have a maid."

She shook her head, "I'm not judging you, Edward, don't worry. I just think it's a generous gift, that's all."

I nodded, "Yeah...my dad's kind of like that. He wouldn't take no for an answer when I tried to refuse the car. We were in the driveway arguing for ten minutes before my mom told me she would disown me if I didn't take it."

Bella laughed, "Damn, don't you hate it when parents force expensive cars on you?"

I narrowed my eyes at her before focusing them on the road again. "Very funny," I said dryly.

"I'm only kidding," she said softly, nudging me in the arm.

I sighed, "Yeah, I know." She smiled and I changed the subject, asking, "So, where to?"

.

.

Ten minutes later, we were sitting down in a quaint sushi restaurant, probably one of the most authentic in New York. Bella knew a few of the servers by name, saying hello to them on the way in. We sat near the back, flipping through menus as we talked about our respective college studies.

I told her about graduating from NYU with a degree in Computer Science, alongside my two jackass best friends-slash-roommates.

As I told her stories about them, she laughed, "They seem like trouble." I simply rolled my eyes because they were. "I have a friend who would get along with them perfectly," Bella continued, "Rose...she's like the fiercest person you'll ever meet. She doesn't take shit from anyone, and she's smart. I would pay money for Rose to meet your friends."

I chuckled, "So would I. I have a feeling she'd rip Emmett's head off."

Our waitress came to take our order then, interrupting the conversation for a minute before we were talking again. Bella told me about graduating from UW, all the way in Seattle, with a degree in English and a minor in photography. She had tried for months to get a job out there but hadn't been able to find anything. After that, she had decided on a whim that she needed a change of pace; a fresh start.

Apparently her friend and college roommate, Angela, lived in New York and convinced her to move here three years ago. She'd been working at Newton's for one of those three, but wanted more than anything to pursue her photography.

Based on what I'd seen, I thought it was a pretty good idea.

"I mean, I do it for fun," she said as she set down her chopsticks, "but I'd _love _to do it for a living, you know? Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing, anyway, finding something you love to do?"

"Yeah," I replied with a nod, "but that's easier said than done a lot of the time. I play guitar, I love it, but I know realistically I'll never be a rock star."

Bella smirked, "You never know."

I shrugged, smiling back at her, "Okay, maybe I don't, but I think my dream's a little more farfetched than yours. What you had in your apartment, Bella, those were great. I think if you love it, then _that's _what you should be doing, not working for some idiot in an office building."

She leant forward slightly with her elbows on the table, nodding absently. Her pretty, brown eyes met mine as she whispered a small, "Thank you." I simply stared back, wondering how my luck had brought me to her on my first day of work. "Oh, so you met Newton, huh?" Bella asked belatedly, her eyes widening. "Mike, I mean."

I scoffed, "Yeah, he's definitely something."

We talked about work for a bit, finding a common dislike for Mike Newton, the owner's son and Bella's subsequent boss. I got hired in IT, so I would never run into him, but from the stories I'd heard, he didn't seem like that great of a guy – he seemed like a scumbag, in all honesty.

When work talk started to irritate us, we decided to get the bill. Although I insisted on paying, Bella was two steps ahead of me and had already paid while I was in the bathroom. It baffled me because I was gone no more than two minutes.

I told her it was a sneaky move and I'd get her back. She compromised and said I could pay for the movie.

The drive to the theatre was short. It was a small, old-fashioned venue that kept its business by playing dated movies as opposed to new releases. I had accidentally stumbled across the theatre when I first moved to New York and had been going to it ever since. There was always something good to watch.

It turned out tonight was an especially good viewing because they were showing _The Exorcist. _A scary movie – just what I was hoping for.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she said nervously as I handed her the ticket, "how come we're seeing _The Exorcist?_"

"Because it's the ultimate, classic, scary movie and it's the only one you haven't seen," I responded, "therefore, we see it."

It was a little bit of a lie because I probably would have chosen it anyway. It just worked to my advantage that she had never seen it before.

She frowned, "There's a _reason _I haven't seen it." She paused before she whispered, "I don't like scary movies. They freak me out."

I smiled down at her, "That's what you have me for."

She rolled her eyes before a small smile tugged at her lips. "Whatever, Romeo, let's go see this thing."

She surprised me when she grabbed my hand, tugging me into the building. Hers was soft and small, fitting with mine as our fingers laced together. Bella stopped in the lobby, casually perusing the menu for the concession stand as I stood with her, content to hold her hand. We were the only people there and thankfully didn't have to wait in line. Since neither of us was very hungry, we decided to share a drink and popcorn.

When we went inside the theatre, she chose seats near the back. They didn't hold many people, fifty at most, but only roughly a dozen seats were occupied by the time the movie started. It was the reason why I loved this place; low-key and quiet.

I put my arm around her as the lights went down, listening as she laughed quietly. She turned her head, playfully narrowing her eyes as she looked up at me. "Real subtle, Edward," she whispered.

I leant closer, whispering back, "At least I didn't do the 'yawn and stretch'."

She covered her mouth with her hand to stop from laughing. "Touché," she replied.

Bella eased into me, snuggling beneath my arm as she cradled the popcorn in her lap. The beginning of the movie was slow and Bella was okay, but when it got to the creepy, freaky parts, I could feel her tense, almost cringing away from the screen.

During one particular scene, she buried half her face in my shoulder, covering her other eye and watching the movie through slits in her fingers.

It was probably the cutest thing I had ever seen.

I rubbed my thumb over her arm, leaning into her as I whispered, "We can always go, Bella."

She shook her head, causing her hair to tickle my nose. "No," she replied quietly, "I...I want to stay. I'm having fun."

I sighed, turning my attention back on the screen. I felt Bella move with me, nuzzling her cheek and nose against my shoulder just before soft, warm lips were gently on my throat. I swallowed noticeably, feeling my heart beat quicker in my chest. She shifted closer, brazenly putting her hand on my abdomen as she kissed me again, slowly and deliberately placing her lips on my neck.

I shivered at the sensation, dropping my head back against the seat and tightening my grip on her, pulling her impossibly closer. She moved her mouth over my skin with confidence, kissing the ridiculously sensitive spot just below my ear. My cock strained hard against my jeans and I groaned quietly. I couldn't contain how much I wanted to kiss her.

It was getting a little absurd.

When she took my earlobe into her mouth and rolled her tongue over it, my body took over my brain. I couldn't help myself anymore. I swiftly cupped her face in my hands, titling her mouth up to mine. She gasped quietly before our lips touched and moved in sync; mine, eager and intent to taste her, hers, just as eager and remarkably soft.

I tentatively deepened the kiss, emboldened by the darkness, and gently slipped my tongue into her open mouth. I hoped it wasn't too much too soon, but she didn't seem to mind. She responded with a muted whimper, twisting her fingers into my shirt as her tongue passionately moved with mine.

_Oh yeah, she'd been thinking about it too._

We made out for a while, keeping with the entire cliché of our date. In the back of my mind, I was conscious of the fact that we were getting a little too PG-13 for most people. I realized we were somehow prone to feeling each other up in dark places. I also didn't really care. I fucking loved every minute of it, and the thrill of getting caught…well, that made it all the more exhilarating.

It was the most fun I'd had in a while.

Bella mumbled my name against my lips as we kissed, scratching her nails into my hair. I angled my tongue further into her mouth, wrapping one hand around the back of her neck as the other found purchase on her waist. I pulled her closer, drowning in her smell as she practically climbed over the arm rest, planting one hand on my thigh, painfully close to my rather obvious erection.

I groaned, moving my fingers up from her waist to her tits, roughly palming them as she arched her body into me. One of those breathy moans filled the space around us and my eyes rolled back in my head as the side of Bella's thumb grazed my cock through my jeans.

This was torture.

"Let's go somewhere," I suggested quietly. I was done with the movie, not that I had even seen the past half hour of it.

"Okay," Bella replied, "your place?"

I thought about it for just a fraction of a second before I adamantly shook my head. The only thing I could see was an Emmett and Jasper ass-fest. If I brought Bella back to my place, they would be crass and vulgar. We wouldn't have time alone; they'd make sure of it.

"My roommates," I said softly, "they're assholes."

She giggled, "They sound swell. We can go back to my place," she whispered, "I live alone, remember?"

_Fucking. Awesome. _

"Perfect," I murmured.

.

.

"Do you want something to drink?" Bella asked. She was sort of pacing her kitchen as I sat on the couch, looking a little anxious. I shook my head and she kept going, "Something to eat? I can cook something if you want?"

I rested my arm on the back of the couch, watching her closely. "Are you nervous?" I asked curiously. She bit down on her lip, leaning against the small island in the kitchen as she nodded. "Why?" she didn't respond, just shrugged, avoiding my gaze. "Bella, come here," I said, scooting over.

She made her way to me and sat down, keeping a bit of distance. "I just...I feel like you have these expectations now," she said quietly, "after today...after the movie. I don't know exactly what you want and I'm worried it won't be what you expected. _I _won't be what you expected."

My eyes were wide in astonishment. I didn't even know what to say.

"Bella," I stuttered, "I...I don't expect anything from you, honestly. I just wanted to have dinner." She tucked her feet beneath her on the couch, twisting slightly to look at me. "And you're not what I expected," I continued, "you're so much better."

I watched as she looked away, rubbing her fingers over her lips as she smiled. "Are you always so charming?" she asked sarcastically.

I smirked, "Only sometimes."

She rolled her eyes, crawling over to me and nestling herself beneath my arm. I kissed the crown of her head, murmuring, "Seriously, Bella, I don't expect anything. I can even leave if you want..."

"No," she assured quickly, "no..., its fine, I want you to stay."

"Okay," I replied.

She turned on the TV and we watched a movie for a while, talking through the commercials and laughing at how people in the theatre gave us dirty looks on the way out. By their judging stares, you could tell they had heard what we were doing.

I didn't give a shit.

Before long, Bella and I were making out again. I had told her I didn't have any expectations, and the truth was I really didn't. She initiated everything, pushing me back against the cushions as her lips hungrily sought out mine. I complied willingly, falling down onto the couch as her tiny body came with me.

I skimmed my hands up the back of her shirt, brushing my fingers over her smooth skin. She shifted on top of me, making the sweetest noise I'd ever heard before she sat up a little bit. She attempted to take her shirt off with one hand but it didn't exactly work out. Eager to undress her – any part of her – I offered my help, tossing the shirt onto the coffee table.

"Thanks," she mumbled cutely.

I replied by pulling her back to me, kissing her swollen, pouty lips as her hands came up to cradle my face. She moved them up further, tangling her fingers into my hair and gently tugging me closer as I toyed with the clasp to her bra. When I flicked it open, she didn't object.

I took it as a sign to continue.

I slid up against the arm rest, pulling her bra off as I admired her exquisite, curvy figure and her small, perky tits. Lust and hormones were clouding my vision and it was all I could do to not ravage her right here, on her couch. I needed to control myself, though. I didn't want to push her.

I was about to take off my own shirt when something on the side of her ribs caught my attention. I tilted my head, lifting her arm out of the way.

It was a motherfucking tattoo – a _full ribcage_ tattoo.

I'm pretty sure I almost came in my pants.

"Holy fuck," I muttered shakily, "that's..."

I had no idea what to say to that.

"Oh," Bella replied quizzically, looking down to the ink on her body, "do you like it?"

I widened my eyes at her in disbelief. "Do I like it?" I asked stupidly, "Bella, that's probably the sexiest thing I've ever seen. Jesus..."

She blushed, resting her arm on top of her head. "Really?"

I nodded, "Really. I-"

I didn't know what to do with myself. I was so turned on I was delirious. I leaned forward, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her against me. I kissed her tattoo, brushing my lips over the intricate roses and the long, swirling designs surrounding them. I felt as she shivered, running her hands across my shoulders and gently tightening her legs against my hips.

I rubbed my thumb over the black ink where my lips had been, admiring the striking piece that ran from her hip all the way up to her armpit. I absolutely loved it.

Bella took the opportunity to take my shirt off when I stopped, dropping it on the floor. Her eyes roamed over me appreciatively, pausing on my stomach and my arms before they met mine. I wasn't exactly 'built' but I could see that she was impressed.

"You're so sexy," she whispered. She bit her lip, running her fingers through her hair before she curved her body to mine and took my mouth with hers. We spent a long time on her couch, kissing languidly, exploring each other impatiently, hands, lips, and tongues travelling over soft, smooth skin.

From the good half hour we spent like that, it was obvious how much of each other we had missed in the dark.

At one point, I gently flipped Bella and put myself on top, spreading hot kisses over her chest before reaching her supple breasts. Her nipples were hard and pebbled, showing me how aroused and into this she really was. Expected or not, she was enjoying herself.

I swirled my tongue over the sensitive peak, smiling as Bella's breaths stuttered and her back lifted off the couch. She put her hands on my waist, squeezing her fingers into my sides as I lavished her chest. I kissed and nipped, listening contentedly as she whimpered beneath me. It was more than satisfying.

Bella's fingers gripped my hips again, harder this time, pulling me even closer. My cock pressed into her, hard and unyielding as I groaned, stilling my lips against her skin. She moaned quietly, the sound breathless, as I sighed in resignation.

I wasn't sure I would be able to contain myself much longer – the heat coming from her body, how attracted I was to her…it was too much; too much for me to simply kiss her and not go any further.

"Bella," I groaned, tilting my head slightly to look at her, "you're _really _not making this easy on me."

She pressed her forehead against my shoulder, breathing out deeply as she murmured, "I'm sorry. I…I just got carried away."

"Yeah," I said in response, "we tend to do that." I smirked at her, loving the subtle, pink hue on her cheeks. "But it's not like I'm complaining," I added lowly, "quite the opposite, in fact."

I leaned down and gently nipped at her soft skin, slightly salty to taste and utterly addicting. Although her body was torturing me, I found it hard to stop myself. She was partly naked and completely beautiful, a combination that was damn near impossible for me to resist.

Bella's chest pressed into mine, her hands brushing quickly over my back as she worked them into my hair. She tugged lightly, sending ripples of want through my body, flooding to my groin. I attempted to kiss her again but she sighed, bringing her hands between us.

"I think we should stop," she whispered.

I'll admit that her words were a little disheartening, but I understood. I would stop if she wanted to.

"Whatever you want," I said honestly.

"Okay," she replied quietly. She sat slightly and I moved with her, pulling myself off as I reached for her bra and shirt. She thanked me, angling her body away from mine and quickly slipping both on as I pulled my own shirt over my head.

We sat in silence after that, Bella brushing her fingers over her lips and tucking her feet beneath her once again. I gazed at her, catching her eyes. I offered her a small smirk and she smiled back, tentatively shifting closer to me.

"Thank you," she said, "for tonight…I had fun."

"Me too," I responded. "And thank _you, _for dinner." I playfully narrowed my eyes and she giggled, unconsciously leaning into me.

"The look on your face was hilarious," she remarked, "it was totally worth it."

I shook my head, "I'm glad you were amused."

Our eyes met again, deep, soulful brown penetrating mine for the longest minute of my life. I kissed her then, the movement almost instinctive. I knew she must have felt the same because she relaxed, gently gripping my shoulder to bring herself closer.

She pulled away much too soon, murmuring, "It's probably late."

I nodded, "I'll go."

I was reluctant as hell but I didn't want to make her uncomfortable – I didn't want to make her do something she wasn't ready to do with me yet.

Bella stood up, stretching. Her shirt rode up partly, exposing the smallest sliver of skin at her waist. I watched audaciously but the tiny patch of skin was gone just as fast as it had appeared. I tore my eyes away from her, groaning.

The wood I was sporting was unbelievable.

I waited until she started down the hall to stand up. I did so slowly, discreetly attempting to rearrange my hard-on so it didn't look so obvious. She knew it was there, yes, but she didn't have to see it.

Bella stopped at the front door, gently gripping the handle as she leant against the wall. I slipped my shoes on, holding onto the doorframe to the bathroom as I did so. I straightened my shirt when I was done before raking my fingers through my hair.

"So, can I call you or something?" I asked.

"Hmm," she hummed in response, "I don't know." Her tone was sarcastic and I smirked, cocking my brow. "Of course," she replied seriously.

She stood up straighter, brushing her hair over her shoulders and looking up at me. Her expression was almost expectant and I leaned down, gently grabbing her by the waist as I kissed her. It was sweet and chaste, and completely different from the kisses we'd shared earlier.

"Bye," I mumbled against her lips.

She sighed, whispering a soft "bye".

I pulled open the door, giving her a last, quick peck on the cheek. When she closed it behind me, I pursed my lips, exhaling deeply.

I needed a cold shower.


	3. Gluttony

_Well if she comes to your town motors running top down__  
__Careful she can change your world__  
__Just let me tell you boy__  
__She's an independent girl_

_-Independent Girl by Joe Nichols_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter Three**

**Gluttony**

**b.p.o.v.**

My car really was on its last leg. When I pushed the gas pedal down to speed up, the car wheezed before slowly accelerating. I had thought idly about getting a new one but my lack of funding made it next to impossible. I would have been able to afford it, you know…if I lived in a cardboard box.

I sighed reaching up to run my fingers over my lips that were still tingling from the kiss in the parking garage. As for my other body parts, those were still on fire. If I had male equipment, it would be Smurf blue right now.

I had just let a stranger dry hump me in an elevator full of my coworkers. I knew they had to have known some of what was going on due to the fact that Edward made it impossible for me to keep quiet. When I tried to evade him afterwards, the man chased me to my car only to shut me up with a kiss and then ask me on a date. More like tell me we were going on a date.

I was soon after on my way home to get ready for said date with a man that had already given me an almost orgasm.

What an icebreaker.

I sighed and pulled my car into my normal spot and opted to take the stairwell to my floor. I called Angela on the way up to cancel our plans for the evening. She didn't seem to mind and I could have sworn I had heard a man's voice with her. I assumed she'd have her own stories to share once the weekend was up.

I unlocked my door and closed it behind me, walking to the kitchen. Seconds passed before I heard someone come in behind me.

"Don't you knock?" I yelled out and grabbed two water bottles instead of one.

"Do I ever?" a petite voice rang back.

Alice. She lived two doors down and we almost always got home from work within minutes of each other. Rosalie, the girl who lived in the apartment between us, usually followed close behind. Alice and Rosalie had known each other for years and had neighboring apartments for just as long. We'd become immediate friends the day I left my door open when trying to decorate my studio apartment.

Alice walked right in and had told me that my rug clashed with my couch and started rolling it up for me. Most people would have kicked her out, I invited her back to help me with the curtain I was hanging to separate my bedroom from the living room.

After a few hours of hanging pictures, Rosalie had come in and yelled at Alice for bothering the new girl while I wordlessly poured her a margarita.

The rest is history, I guess.

I plopped onto the couch and handed Alice a water bottle and threw my feet onto the coffee table.

"Why are you late? I've been home almost an hour now," she asked nonchalantly.

Alice took one look at me before turning her body on the couch to sit Indian style towards me.

"What happened?" she asked flatly. It wasn't a question if something had happened or not. She knew, probably from the flush still on my cheeks, that something had indeed happened.

She knew me far too well.

"I have an hour to get ready for a date with a guy I let feel me up in an elevator," I said without taking a breath, keeping my gaze from her.

She didn't say anything. Instead, she pulled out her phone and typed a message out at lightning speed.

"Alice?" she shook her head in response.

Rosalie ran into my apartment seconds later, phone still in hand.

"You let some dude feel you up in in elevator? You are such a hussy!"

Alice and Rosalie spent the next forty-five minutes lying on my bed while I got ready for my date, salivating over every detail. I finally had to force them out the door to let me finish my hair and makeup in peace.

I opted for a casual look, jeans and a tight fitted shirt with my hair loose. I was still finishing up when the buzzer sounded, letting me know that someone was here.

When I heard Edward's voice on the speaker my heart rate increased immediately. I buzzed him through and waited by the door for the knock. I stalled for half a second before I opened it and found him standing there, holding a little red daisy. He managed to get out half a compliment before I felt my face flush.

Seriously? His hand was up my shirt within minutes of meeting, but now I blushed when he tried to tell me I look pretty?

I let him in and watched him taking in my tiny apartment, looking at some of my older pictures of the city on the walls. Of course, I blushed like hell again when he complimented them. I wasn't used to anyone having this power over me. Suddenly I was in high school and hoping Edward would ask me to prom or something.

Only difference was, I had way dirtier thoughts than any high schooler should ever have.

I followed him to the elevator, thankful that he broke the tension with a joke. Elevators would take some getting used to.

We decided on sushi and a movie. Edward pulled me under his arm when I shivered, which had my skin on fire again with the innocent touch. I knew he felt it too, because when he turned to look at me, our proximity was dangerously close. I knew if I didn't make a move away from him, I would throw away any attempts at starting a normal dating relationship with him.

As normal as it could be, anyway.

I did, however, manage to stick my foot in my mouth before we left the parking lot. Edward mentioned that he came from money, and so obviously when I saw the Audi he was leading us towards I made a joke and he immediately recoiled. I felt really bad.

My family was far from rich, and I had been working for Newton, barely keeping afloat since moving to the city. I didn't have anything against anyone who did come from higher means. I mean, hell, I was surrounded by people like that there. But it was obvious I had struck a chord with him and I made a mental note to avoid that in the future.

Dinner went by quickly; we talked a lot about our lives and our interests. I made a move to pay for dinner quickly and felt bad afterwards, realizing he wanted to pay. To compromise, I offered to let him pay for the movie and he agreed.

I knew I must really like this guy if he managed to get me to watch a horror movie with him. My father had tried for years and I wouldn't even watch those spoof horror ones like Scary Movie.

He assured me I'd be fine and had me snuggled under his arm in no time.

I don't really know, but I think it must have been an obscure, darkened room that fed the lust in me. My lips found their way to his neck during the movie, and not long after, we found our way to my couch.

I'm still unsure of how we were able to stop when we did. We were headed for a home run when we managed to pull ourselves apart and he walked out of the door with yet another sweet kiss.

Christ, I needed a cold shower and a cigarette. I didn't even smoke.

I'm not sure how much foreplay a human being can handle in one day, but I was pretty sure I'd hit the boiling point.

I walked back over to the couch and straightened up the cushions, trying my best not to inhale the lingering cologne smell lofting from them. I opted to shower in the morning, because as it turned out, sexual tension was exhausting.

I fell into a dream-filled sleep of the only person on my mind.

…

"_Bella, come for me baby. Let me feel you," he whispered onto the goose bumped skin on my neck. The words gave me another set of chills as he pushed into me deeper. _

"_Edward, fuck… yes… please…"_

_He understood my mutterings and thrust into me harder, faster, while wrapping his arm around my back and pressing my body into his. _

_Edward moved his mouth south; traveling a path on my body like it was mapped out for him to bring me the most pleasure possible. _

_I moaned loudly, interrupted by Edward's hushing. _

"_Shh, baby, they'll hear you…"_

_Who will hear us? Before I could ask him, music filled the air loudly._

I groaned and rolled over; blindly searching for the devil device that woke me up from the hottest dream I'd ever had in my life.

"Yeah, hello?"

I peeked out through my eyelids to see it was just before eleven. Even though it was Saturday, I still rarely slept in that late. Edward wore me out, even in my dreams.

"Mind telling me who was doing the walk of shame out of your door last night? Please tell me it was the office hottie and then tell me why he isn't spooning you right now?"

"Alice, really? God, you are one nosey bitch," I groaned and rolled myself out of bed, walking aimlessly towards my coffee maker.

"Yes, that was Edward, and no, we didn't have sex. Does that answer everything?" I said while gaping at my empty coffee canister. _New plan: Starbucks, then grocery store._

"That doesn't even touch my questions, Bella. Are you even awake yet?"

"I'm talking to you aren't I?" I snapped back, fingering the petals of the red daisy sitting in water on my countertop.

"Wow, you're feisty when you're sexually frustrated." Alice laughed back; I could hear Rosalie laughing in the background as well.

"Ugh, speakerphone, Alice, really? Hello Rose."

"Hey hussy!" she yelled back.

I rolled my eyes as if they could see me and started towards the bathroom so I could shower.

"I'm getting ready to go out, meet me at Starbucks?" I asked, turning the knob for the cold water. Extra cold today, thanks.

"No can do, we have to pick up a shipment in Jersey, it was supposed to come in yesterday but it didn't show. We'll be back tonight though so don't think you're getting away without interrogation, ma'am."

I laughed back and agreed to meet them later that night. Alice and Rosalie owned a small shop downtown selling vintage clothes and jewelry. They were quite profitable, for their little store. I couldn't say I minded the friend discount they always gave me either.

After my not-cold-enough shower, I made my way into the warm streets, camera in tow. I rarely left home without it. You never know when you'll want it in this city.

I opted to walk to Starbucks and grab my car afterwards for the groceries.

I walked into the familiar green establishment that was bustling, as usual. It was only a block away, so I guess you could say I was a bit of a regular customer.

"Venti Chai, babe. Milk, not water," the tan-faced brunette behind the counter sang to me seconds after I walked in.

"Jacob, how do you do that?" I laughed and took the cup from him.

"Saw you comin' up the block. What's new?" he asked, continuing to make drinks for the other customers waiting.

I shrugged and tested my tea. "Same old, I had a date last night," I tried to it say nonchalantly, but ended up grinning like a fool anyway.

Jacob was the gayest, sweetest barista in blocks. Angela and I met him while apartment shopping for me. He may have slightly influenced my decision when he eavesdropped on our conversation during our first visit and demanded we include him on the gossip on his break. He was also a free-lance photographer on the side. Starbucks was pocket change compared to the money he raked in with his pictures. I wanted to hate him out of pure jealousy, but I couldn't find it in me. He had a small studio a few blocks away that he let me use.

Old habits die hard, as he was immediately tossing his apron on the counter and giving me that 'details now' look.

"Back in fifteen!" he yelled over his shoulder, earning dirty looks from his co-workers.

He guided me over to a corner booth and practically stuffed me inside in his impatience.

"Isabella Swan, you haven't given any man a second look in months, unless you count the randoms you click pictures of in the park. Who the hell managed to get you on a date?"

I ran my hands through my hair and rolled my eyes. I couldn't even lie, he would see right through it. So, I recounted the elevator experience and my date last night. Every detail, down to the cold shower.

"Okay, first question. When are you seeing him again?"

Jacob had shifted his position during my story; he was now sitting across from me with his chin rested against his fists, elbows on the table.

I sighed and shook my head.

"I don't know. He has my number but I don't have his. So I guess the ball is in his court."

"Okay… second, why the hell didn't you guys do the horizontal mambo again?"

My hand shot up to my mouth to keep my chai from shooting out of my nose.

"Jacob!"

He just shrugged and laughed. "What? Oh, come on, you almost get the big O from him twice in one day and then nothing? You need to take more notes from me. I'd still be sharin' a sheet with that hunk."

I laughed again and shook my head as I stood up. "You don't even know what he looks like. Go back to work, see you Monday morning." I walked past him, ruffling his hair.

When I pushed the door open to leave, Jacob called my name out.

"I don't know what he looks like, but he must be something if he's gotten this reaction out of you."

…

Jacob was more than right. I usually put up the façade of being too busy for a relationship but the truth was, I just wasn't interested. The few dates I had gone on since moving here had me home early, eating ice cream by myself. As colorful and vibrant the city was it sure had some dull men.

I started on my way back to my apartment with every intention of grabbing my car and heading to the grocery store. But my camera was calling my name. I took a right turn and walked the few blocks to the small park in my neighborhood.

It was crowded, but I expected no less on a Saturday. Children running around, blowing bubbles and flying kites. Runners and bikers kept the perimeter. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face when I took my shoes off and walked on the soft grass. I tilted my face towards the sky and absorbed the sun's rays into my skin.

This beat my stupid desk job, every single day. I'd have given anything to quit Newton's. I had enough money saved to last me a few months but then what? I knew damn well that I needed to keep this job with the economy the way it was. Handsy boss and all.

The best day I'd had at that job consisted of getting felt up in that damned elevator. The thought had me gasping with realization.

What if this didn't work out? What if Edward was thoroughly blue-balled and pissed at me after last night? Sure, he was sweet enough when he left, but he could've just been really good at being polite. He could thoroughly fuck up my job at Newton's.

"Uuuugh. What the hell was I thinking?" I asked myself out loud, earning a few odd looks.

I smiled politely at the strangers, attempting to assure them that I was not losing my mind.

I needed to do some serious thinking about what may or may not be happening with Edward. As much as I loathe my job, I knew that Edward could seriously hinder my performance.

I racked my brain while snapping a few pictures and unsuccessfully trying to clear my mind. It was no use. I knew I needed my girls to help me figure this one out.

I finished my grocery shopping quickly, not needing much for just myself. The apartment didn't have a lot of space to hold much anyway. I texted Angela to see if she wanted to come over but she had plans and said she couldn't wait to tell me about on Monday. I smiled to myself, knowing she must be with the mysterious Ben again.

I was riddled with anxiety by the time Alice and Rosalie made it back into the city. I threw my door open the second I heard them in the hallway.

"Alice, what the hell is in the bag?" Rosalie demanded when Alice closed her apartment door behind her.

"Mind your business."

They both filed into my apartment and I eyed them curiously.

"Alice, mind telling me what's in the bag?" I asked glancing at the brown paper bag she was setting on my counter.

"Girl's night!" she sang out in response, taking out a pint of ice cream and three oversized spoons.

"Hell, woman, if you ask to paint my nails, I am so out," I laughed, shaking my head.

"And ruin the pedicure I forced you to get with me last week? Not likely."

I plugged my iPod in, opening a playlist on low. Turning back, I noticed Rosalie staring at the Rocky Road with a disgusted look on her face.

"Rose?" I asked, stepping towards her.

Without a word, she turned on her heels and walked out of the apartment.

Within minutes, she returned, holding a bottle of Vanilla Vodka and three shot glasses.

"This is how the grownups do girls night. Take notes, Alice." Rosalie set the bottle on the counter, moving the ice cream to the side. Despite the faux aggravated look on Alice's face, I couldn't hold in my laughter. I clutched my stomach and doubled over giggling. I actually snorted once which had Rose and Alice laughing as well.

"Bottoms up?" I laughed out, grabbing a shot glass and holding it out to Alice. She took it and stuck her tongue out at me.

Two shots later, I told every detail of my date with Edward.

"And God, he freaking kissed my tattoo. I swear he likes it more than I do." I fell back into the couch with a groan.

"I'm still missing something here. Where is the problem exactly?" Alice asked, confused.

Rosalie took the time to chime in as well.

"Bella, the only problem I see is that he's not over here trying to get into your pants right now."

"You guys don't get it, I work with him. If we keep doing this, it's bound to be one hell of a breakup and I need that stupid job." I picked up my phone mid-sentence when it started blinking red, showing that I had a new message.

I opened the phone, not recognizing the number. But when I read the text, I groaned. I didn't have to guess who it was from.

"What? Who is it?" Alice asked, grabbing the phone from my hand.

**Is it weird to say that I miss you?**

She read the text out loud and barely stifled her giggles.

"Bella has a boyyyfriend," she sang out, waving the phone in the air.

"Alice, seriously," Rosalie spat at her, sternly but still playfully. "What are you going to do Bella?" She turned to me.

"I don't know. I really like this guy, and we are like borderline exclusive after knowing each other for two days. We're bound to fizzle out quick at this rate." I threw myself back on the couch and felt my phone land on my stomach where Alice tossed it to me.

"I think you're dumb to think this is anything other than good, Bella. He's obviously good looking and he's already got your panties in a bunch. You hate your job. If it ends badly, then deal with it then." Rose spoke matter-of-factly before turning to talk to Alice again. The subject was closed.

I heard Rosalie get up and walk to the kitchen to refill our cocktails. Thankfully, we weren't drinking too much tonight. I needed the clear head to figure out what to do about my mess.

I decided to text him back because, well, I am a glutton for pain, I suppose.

**I guess I'm weird too. What are you up to?**

I decided to keep the texts to myself for the rest of the night. Alice made it easy when she decided to tell me what was happening lately with her and Rosalie's shop. My phone blinked at me again.

**Guy's night. Emmett is already trashed and Jas is playing Doctor Phil. Save me.**

I laughed at our mirrored evenings. Rosalie's words were beginning to slur and if I let Alice, she would be preaching to me about what to do with Edward.

As if Alice was a mind reading minx, she turned towards me.

"So what about you, missy? Are you going to dump Mr. Elevator before it even starts?"

What about me? I just shook my head. I didn't know if I was wordlessly saying no or saying I don't know, but Alice accepted the answer anyway.

I started texting back.

**No can do, girl's night. Rose is already trashed too. **

I looked back up into Alice's expecting eyes. She wasn't dumb. She knew very well that I had continued texting Edward but thank the gods above; she didn't ask me to read them.

"I think I'll let it play out. Like Rosalie so nicely reminded me earlier…I hate my job. Might as well give myself something to look forward to, even if it does have 'messy breakup' written all over it."

Rosalie leaned back into the chaise she was sitting on and closed her eyes.

"Quit expecting a breakup when you aren't even dating yet. You're going to get wrinkles."

Ah, there's the Rose I know and love.

**Please remind me to introduce her to Emmett. I think they are written in the stars.**

"So, did I tell you guys where Angela is tonight?" I asked, deterring the conversation away from me so I could sneak another text back. Alice had been just as nosey with Angela this morning so she already knew about IT Ben.

**I'm not even drunk. How sad is that?**

I sounded pathetic. But I was desperate to keep the conversation going.

**Me neither. When can I see you again?**

I'm assuming the pillow that just flew into my face meant my blush was visible.

**I suppose I could check my calendar…**

Another pillow.

"Alice!"

"What? You're grinning like a fool over there."

I rolled my eyes and looked at Edward's reply.

**Let me come over. **

Holy shit.

**Now?**

I didn't even pretend to listen to the conversation in the room. I opted to stare at my phone instead.

**Yes.**

Shit. Shit. Shit. Way to cool things down, Bella.

"So…I think I'm going to call it a night," I said, stretching my arms above me, peeking over at my friends to see if they were buying it.

I was met with Alice's shit-eating grin and Rosalie's lifted eyebrow. Nope, not buying it.

"I hope you're planning on changing before he comes over," Alice said, walking straight for my closet.

Rosalie just laughed from the couch as I ran after Alice, tipping her drink back.

"You can at least help!" Alice yelled at her, moving hangers around.

"Alice, it's almost ten o'clock at night. I don't need you primping me up." I sat on my bed and finally texted Edward back.

**I'm kicking the girls out. **

I sent it quickly and surprisingly didn't object when Alice pulled out what she wanted me to wear; a pair of yoga pants and two different tank tops. It was painfully obvious that she wanted me to show off my slim curves. But at least she got the hint that I didn't want to look like I had changed. This seemed like a fitting ten o'clock outfit.

I accepted the clothes with a smile before politely shooing my friends towards the door.

"Wear a thong. Panty lines are not your friend." Alice was speaking quickly as I tried to close the door.

"Got it, Alice."

"Take your hair down. You look homely," Rosalie said with a wave and a laugh.

"Goodnight girls! Keep your peepholes closed tonight." I finally got the door shut and ran to my bathroom to take my hair out of its messy bun. Thankfully, my natural curls didn't look horrendous after spending the day in a hair tie. I ran my fingers through them a few times and added a touch of mousse to keep them in place. I rarely let my hair curl on its own but I knew I didn't have time for a straightener.

I hadn't worn any makeup that day either, so I put on some mascara and some chap stick. It would have to do.

I pulled the curtain down, closing off my room and quickly cleaned up after my short-lived ladies night. Popping a movie into the DVD player, I sat down to wait.

And wait.

…and wait.

An unknown amount of time passed, as I had fallen asleep on my couch. I heard the buzz coming from the speaker and jumped up, racing towards it.

"Hello?" I grumbled out, wishing I cleared my throat after my impromptu nap.

"Bella? Hey it's me, um, Edward. I'm sorry it took me so long. I can come by tomorrow if you want."

"No, no it's okay." I hit the button to buzz him through.

I waited by the door for the footsteps. When I heard them getting louder, I opened the door so he wouldn't have to knock.

So much for trying to get ready and seem like I naturally looked cute this late. I was sure my hair looked like a lion's mane and I hoped to God my breath wasn't too horrid.

When my eyes met his, I didn't find it in me to care. Had it even been twenty-four hours since I'd seen him? My body responded like it'd been weeks.

There he stood, hair disheveled, wearing tight jeans and a fitted black shirt. He wore the most adorable crooked smile when he breathed out a "hello."

I vaguely remembered that I wanted to take things slow when I found myself pinned to the wall, just on the inside of my apartment.

I aimlessly kicked my foot out a few times until I found the door and pushed it shut.

Something told me Edward would be getting the full tour of the apartment tonight.

* * *

**A/N: I can't thank my partner in crime enough. AcrosstheSkyinStars keeps my sanity. I think I wrote her thirty emails trying to get this chapter done. She replied to each and every one and hasn't disowned me yet!**

**You should worship readingmama and her beta-whip. Without her this chapter would be extremely over excited. ( I like exclamation points. Way too much.) She's made of awesome!**

**My amazing co-writer will bring you EPOV soon!**


	4. Patience

**A/N: Still with me? Here is the correct document. *facepalm* Please forgive me if you read the rough draft version! (You guys got to read my comments on the chapter to Tanya, haha!) Thankyou so much to Bower-of-Bliss & izziey for sending me a message to point this out!**

**Back to the point- Here is AcrossTheSkyInStars chapter. I can't express how thankful I am to have her as a partner on this story! She is an awesome writer and friend 3. Thanks also to the Beta of this chapter ClaireBloom! **

"She wrapped her arms around me and she kissed me on the mouth

Said there's more where that came from

Oh baby, there's more

Like a lamb to the slaughter, I followed her home

To bed with a stranger; no one has to know"

-This Providence: Secret Love and the Fastest Way to Loneliness

e.p.o.v

I groaned in protest when my alarm went off early on Saturday morning. I reached out blindly, smacking my hand in the general direction of the annoyingly shrill sound until it stopped. When it finally did, I sighed in relief, rolling over so I could get back to sleep.

I usually always went for a run at Central Park on the weekends, before meeting Emmett and Jasper at the gym for an hour. But since I hadn't gotten home from Bella's until almost two last night, I decided against my morning jog.

I just didn't have it in me to get up. I had run a few times during the week already because I hadn't had a job until recently, so I figured it would have to do.

I woke up later on, dressed in shorts and an old t-shirt, and grabbed my gym bag with a change of clothes. I made my way down the stairs, not as tired as before, but still a little on the slow side. When I walked into the kitchen to make myself a much needed coffee, I was stopped short at what – or rather, who – was in there.

A slim girl with long, blonde hair was sitting on one of the bar stools, peeling an orange, wearing nothing but Jasper's shirt from the day before and a pair of underwear.

My eyes widened in surprise and I quickly looked away, scratching the back of my neck.

"Uh..." I began, unsure of where I planned on going with this.

"Oh!" she said, startled, "Um, I'm sorry...I didn't realize anyone was still here." I glanced back up at her, watching as she discreetly tried to cover her legs with her hands. "Jasper said I would be alone."

I laughed uneasily and replied, "Uh, yeah...I didn't go out this morning." She smiled sheepishly, tugging the dress shirt over her thighs. "I'm Edward, by the way," I said, awkwardly holding out my hand as I took a tentative step forward.

She leaned over the island, returning the gesture. "Lauren," she replied.

I nodded in response, finding that words escaped me as we both retracted our hands. The silence was uncomfortable, to say the least, so I shrugged, "Well-"

"So-"

We spoke at the same time, laughing apprehensively at the coincidence.

"I'm gonna go," I said hastily, jabbing my thumb toward the door. Lauren nodded quietly, and I hitched my gym bag higher on my shoulder. I quickly turned, slipping on my running shoes before I headed out to meet the guys.

.

.

"So, how was the date with the hussy?"

Emmett had been fairly quiet when I'd joined him on the treadmill at the gym, but as soon as he stepped off, he was back to his regular, charming self.

"Call her that again, and I'll knock your teeth out," I retorted with mock enthusiasm, lightly slapping him on the shoulder. I grabbed my towel, wiping the sweat from my forehead and neck as I walked over to the free weights.

"Ooh," he laughed, "someone's defensive. Did you get any?"

I sat down on a workout bench, throwing my head back in annoyance. "Emmett, I swear to God, I will punch you. Don't think I won't."

He snickered, sitting down next to me as he tossed his towel onto the bench. "I'm joking, man," he replied, "it's just funny to see you all out of whack." He paused, taking a long gulp from the water bottle he had brought with him. "In all seriousness though, how'd it go?"

I shrugged, raking my fingers through my hair. "It was good...really good." I glanced over at Emmett, recognizing the raised-eyebrow-look he was giving me. "And no," I continued reluctantly, "we didn't have sex."

"Speak for yourself," Jasper said with a grin, appearing out of nowhere.

I nearly snorted. "I wouldn't _dream_ of speaking for you, considering I found evidence of your lay last night, in the kitchen this morning." Jasper simply smirked and I shook my head, "You're an asshole. I don't know why chicks sleep with you."

"'Cause I'm hot," he replied, and I rolled my eyes. I decided to forgo the free weights and instead focused on sit-ups. I did that for a while, alternating between sit-ups and push-ups. I regulated my breathing while I did my workout, listening to Emmett and Jasper as they talked about sex, girls, sports, and anything else they felt like mentioning.

I tried to drown them and their idiocy out, but when Emmett asked me a question about the 'hussy', I'd had enough.

"All right, I'm out," I said pointedly. I snatched up my towel and bottle of water before I headed to the change room. I quickly showered, trying to disregard the sounds of Emmett and Jasper when they yelled at me from our lockers. I ignored their apologies and stalked past them, grabbing my clothes and dressing without casting a glance at the tactless assholes.

"Come on, man, we're sorry," Emmett said with contrition, "I'm a jerk, you know that."

"Yeah, I do," I snapped, "and you do a damn good job of being one."

Jasper clapped his hand on my back as I started pulling on my shoes. "Look, we're sorry," he said seriously, "it's just different to see you so hung up on a girl. You've barely dated in the last year, we're joking around."

I sighed, lowering the bottom of my jeans down over my socks. "Whatever," I replied, "it's fine." I stood up to move around them, but Jasper blocked me. He was of the same build as me, only a tiny bit shorter. "Jas give it up," I said in irritation.

"No can do," he replied with a shrug.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want you to forgive us," he said simply.

I sighed. "Fine, I forgive you."

"Convincing," he scoffed, "now take the hostility out of your ass and try again." I couldn't help but to laugh at his quip. "Come on," he hedged, "we'll even make it up to you."

Jasper turned to nod at Emmett and he jumped up, clapping his hands together. "Of course!" he said joyously, "We'll make it up. _Man's night_."

His tone was full of pride and I frowned. "Man's night?"

"Yeah," he replied, "beer, pizza, porn...man's night." I chuckled at his explanation and he continued, "We'll even buy everything. You just show up. No ribbing about the hu-_Bella_," he quickly corrected, "we'll just have fun."

I did something between a sigh and a laugh. "Okay," I relented, "okay, man's night or whatever." I grabbed my bag and zipped it before slinging it over my shoulder. "I'll see yah guys later then," I said as I started heading for the doors.

"Where are you going?" Jasper asked casually.

"To get a coffee," I replied with a sarcastic smirk, "there was a strange woman in my kitchen this morning."

.

.

I hit up a Starbucks a few blocks away from the gym, waiting impatiently in the long line of customers who were itching to get their morning fix. I ordered a Venti when I reached the counter, shooting a quick head nod at Jake, my usual server.

"When you gonna give me a call, handsome?" he asked, greeting me with a smile and his typical pick up line.

"If I ever start batting for your team, you'll be the first I call," I said, offering him a playful wink. He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly in response and sighed, continuing the string of banter we exchanged every day.

Even if he was flamboyantly gay, I thought he seemed like a cool guy.

I went to the grocery store afterward, figuring neither of my, oh so reliable roommates, would think to grab the necessities such as milk and bread. I picked up a few things, more than I had bargained for, and loaded my car before I headed home. I awkwardly made my way up the flight of stairs to the loft, and when I wrestled open the door with full hands, Emmett was roaming around the kitchen, scrounging for food.

"Sustenance!" he mock cried as he lunged for a bag, "Good thinking, Ed."

I glared at him when he helped me with the bags. "What's that now?"

He rolled his eyes as he tore through the cardboard of a frozen pizza and pre-heated the oven. "Sorry, _Edward,_" he said snootily, "I see you're still on your rag." I chuckled and set the rest of the bags on the counter while Emmett took a place on one of the bar stools.

"Man, listen to this one," he laughed, picking up his phone. "'_New policy: when a woman uses the word blowjob in a sentence within five minutes of meeting her, you buy her a drink.' _Amen to that!" Emmett tittered. "Ah, some of these are classic," he mused.

"You really need to stop reading _texts from last night._" I retorted. "You're losing brain cells."

"But they're epic," he countered. "You have to agree, that one was funny."

I smirked, because it was true. "Okay, that was a good one. Read me some more."

Emmett scrolled through his phone, reading random _texts from last night_, while I put away the groceries. I laughed at some of them and shook my head at others, and the more he read, the more I felt like texting Bella. I hadn't really thought about her since this morning, but I kind of had this impulsive need to send her a text, something simple.

_How's it going?_

Too...casual?

_I had a great time last night_

Too...weird?

_When can I see you again?_

Too...needy?

Yeah, too needy. I was stuck; I wanted to talk to her, even just a little, but I had no idea what to say. What was I supposed to say? I had no protocol for this kind of thing, no way to safely approach the whole 'we rounded third base within minutes of meeting each other and are now trying to build a relationship' thing.

And for some reason, I really didn't want to fuck it up. I wanted it to work, however that may be.

So after minutes of contemplating a conversation with Bella, I decided against it. I had to think about it first, because I didn't want to come off sounding desperate. Wasn't there some sort of forty-eight hour rule after the first date? Did that even apply to us?

I had no idea, but either way, I wanted to be sincere, not an idiot.

"Are you even listening?" Emmett asked, interrupting my internal dispute.

"Yeah," I lied, "sure."

He knew when I was lying, and he knew I hadn't heard a word he'd said, so he leaned over and punched me on the arm. "You're full of shit," he quipped with a grin. "Come on," he nodded toward the living room, "let me kick your ass at Modern Warfare."

We spent the day like that: glued to the Xbox, eating pizza, yelling obscenities at the television when one of us didn't like the way we died. Emmett kicked my ass, like he usually did, and when I was fed up with getting killed, we decided to do a campaign.

Jasper walked in the door when we were half-way through a level.

"I have beer," he announced.

"Fucking right," Emmett replied, and then he abandoned his controller, leaving my character to fend for himself in the game. "It's about time."

I tried to make it through the rest of the level, but when Emmett's character died, I knew there was no chance. "Screw it," I muttered. With that, I turned off the Xbox and followed Emmett to the kitchen to grab a beer.

.

.

By nine o'clock, Emmett was hammered. Jasper was pretty buzzed and rambling like there was no tomorrow, and me...I was as well as sober. I'd only had a few beers since we started drinking because I couldn't stop thinking about what I wanted to text to Bella. I ran through countless scenarios in my head, figuring I'd come off stupid, saying any number of things to her, but wanting to say _something. _Drinking a lot might have seemed like a solution to my problem, but I certainly wasn't about to get drunk and text her something completely moronic.

God...that would have been disastrous.

Instead, I sat on the reclining chair in the living room, aimlessly watching the soft-core porn Emmett insisted on (the star was a blonde this time, thank God) and listening to Jasper as he tried to offer me advice on Bella. Some of it was...interesting, that was for sure, but mostly, Jasper was trying to encourage me to go for it.

"But what if I screw it up?" I asked, glancing over at him. He was sitting on the couch beside Em, nursing a beer. "I barely know the girl, but I really like her, Jas, and the potential for this to go downhill is better than us actually working things out."

He looked back at me, his usually jovial face completely serious. "You can't think like that," he replied honestly, "dude, just go for it. She obviously likes you, too. You're being a pussy if you chicken out before you can start anything with her."

I chuckled at his drunken ramblings, knowing he was, in fact, right. I had to tough it out, and if I wanted to make it work with Bella, it would, because I would do my best to make sure it would.

After heeding Jasper's advice and strapping on a pair, I pulled out my phone and finally decided to text her. It was short, and maybe a little odd, but I thought it was meaningful:

**Is it weird to say that I miss you?**

I set my phone on my thigh once I sent it, taking small sips from my beer. I tried not to think about her reaction to what I had said, and hoped to God it was the right thing. I listened to Jasper while I waited, because even though Emmett was completely engrossed in the movie, Jasper was still as talkative as the town gossip.

But it was good, because it kept me distracted.

Although I was nervous for her response, a few minutes later I breathed a sigh of relief, because my phone went off – she missed me too.

We texted for a while; talking about our nights with our drunken friends, deciding Emmett and Rose were pretty much made for each other because of their parallel personalities. And after a fairly light conversation, I bit the bullet – I asked when I could see her again, because I really wanted to see her, as soon as possible.

She responded casually, jokingly, but I was completely serious, so kept up with the boldness.

Imagine my surprise when she told me she was going to kick the girls out.

I stared at my phone, chugging the rest of my beer as my heart began to beat faster in my chest. I tucked it away in my pocket and stood up, chuckling at how Emmett was passed out over the arm of the couch and Jasper was mumbling to himself.

"Jas," I said, leaning down to shake him out of his stupor, "dude, I'm going to Bella's."

His eyes snapped up to mine and he grinned. "Eddie boy grew some balls," he jibed, playfully patting my forearm, "I'm so proud." I snorted at his sarcasm and he scrambled off the couch. "But…take a cab," he nearly slurred, "that way she has to drive you back."

I frowned. "What?"

"Take a cab," he repeated, snatching my keys off the table and sticking them in his pocket, "so you'll have to stay the night."

"Wh-that makes absolutely no sense," I retorted, "I could stay the night either way." Jasper stood stubbornly and I held out my hand. "Give me my keys, Jas, I wanna go."

He shook his head. "No," he replied, "take a cab."

The next half hour consisted of me trying to wrestle my keys from Jasper's pocket. He eluded me, darting behind the couch, drunkenly insisting I take a cab because apparently, it made more sense. I didn't understand his reasoning one bit, and when it neared eleven, I grew more agitated than I could express because I just want to _go. _

I took a break from coaxing my keys out of him to use the bathroom and went back to the living room with a new resolve. But when I opened my mouth to argue with Jasper, I found he had conveniently passed out at the island in the kitchen.

"Drunk-ass," I muttered. I maneuvered my hand into his pocket, wrapped my fingers around my keys, and carefully extracted them. I left him there on the island, shaking my head at his absurdity, before I put on my shoes and jacket and rushed down the steps to go to Bella's.

.

.

I drove as fast as I could, encountering traffic, cursing under my breath because I was outrageously late no thanks to Jasper's antics. I impatiently tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, hoping to God she didn't think I was blowing her off. I parked in the lot around the back of her building when I finally got there and jogged to the front, buzzing her apartment.

Her voice was groggy and thick when she answered, making me feel even worse about the whole thing. But she told me to come up anyway, and I took that as a good sign.

I ascended the stairs two at a time to her floor and headed down the hall to her apartment. I was in mid-knock when she appeared before me, perfectly adorable. It looked like she had been sleeping with the haphazard state of her hair, but for some reason, it made her seem even more beautiful.

I grinned at her, whispering a small, "Hello."

She didn't even have time to respond, because when she took that soft bottom lip of hers between her teeth, I lost it. I went insane with lust and remembrance, of having that lip between mine.

I'm not sure what happened, but before I knew it, we were stumbling around the inside of her apartment, attached at the lips. I awkwardly kicked off my shoes and struggled out of my jacket while Bella helped, pushing the fabric out of her way and onto the floor. Her soft hands travelled my shoulders, gripping me tightly and holding me close to her as we tried to stay on our feet.

The back of my thighs eventually hit the arm of her couch and I reached out behind me with one hand, bracing myself while I sat down and circled my other arm around her waist. She stood between my legs, her lips and tongue zealously moving with mine as she errantly combed her fingers through my hair.

"Hi," she murmured against my mouth.

I smiled, taking a second to stop and breathe. "Hi back," I replied amusedly. I peppered her jaw with tiny kisses, bringing her hips closer to mine, and her breaths tickled my ear. I slowly trailed my lips down her throat, and she let out a sexy, little moan, leaning further into me as I moved my lips over her skin.

"W-what took you so long?" she whispered.

I rolled my eyes at Jasper's indolence, placing a sweet kiss to her collarbone. "Sorry about that," I apologized, "Jasper was being a complete idiot."

She giggled quietly and leaned down, tugging the fabric of my shirt over so her lips had access to my neck and shoulder. "It's okay," she replied softly, "I was just worried I'd have to start without you."

I groaned as I lulled my head back, giving Bella the opportunity to kiss and suck on my throat. I shivered at the light pecks and skimmed my hands down her sides until they were resting on her hips. I slipped my fingers under her shirt, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin. She sighed quietly at my touch and pushed herself onto me, causing us to fall into a heap over the arm of the couch.

I chuckled, "Happy to see me?"

"You have no idea," she murmured with a tint of color to her cheeks. "Sorry."

I wrapped my arms around her back and leaned up to kiss her. "I'm not complaining," I replied with a grin, "feel free to stay here as long as you want." She snuggled further into my side and hummed softly in contentment. "How was your girls' night?" I asked with a note of amusement.

She laughed, "Fine. How was your guys' night?"

I rolled my eyes. "Same. Emmett passed out and Jasper got all deep and emotional. Sorry again that I was late, he just kept going on and on, and then he took my keys-"

"It's okay," she cut me off, "really. But...will you stay? Tonight, I mean."

I smiled into her hair. "Sure," I agreed, "I'd like that." She tightened her arms around me, and although I was positive I wanted to stay the night, I was curious as to her sudden change of mind. "Can I just...ask something?" I wondered. She tilted her head up to me and I continued, "What happened to all that stuff yesterday? You know, not that I'm opposing anything..."

She sighed and bit her lip when she leaned up on her elbow. "I don't know," she started out quietly, "I _wanted _to wait, well, because...I'm not that kind of girl – one-night stands..."

"And I'm not like that either," I interrupted.

She gave me a small nod. "I know," she replied, "I guess I was being careful or something. And today, I started thinking about everything, what it could mean for my job." She paused before she said, "I wanted to go slowly, but...I don't care now, because I really like you. I think whatever happens is worth it to see where this goes. Waiting is just prolonging the inevitable."

"The inevitable, huh?" I said with a cocky grin.

She playfully rolled her eyes. "All of that and _that's _what you get out of it?"

I chuckled. "I'm kidding," I replied. "But I get it. I told you we could wait, Bella. It's not a big deal because, even though we just met, I really like you too," I said quietly, "I don't want you to do something you're uncomfortable with."

I felt a soft kiss on the side of my throat before she whispered, "See...that makes you so much sexier."

She shifted her weight so she was snugly on top of me, causing her lips to line up perfectly with mine and our legs to tangle. She kissed me deeply, winding her fingers into my hair, anchoring herself to me. I crossed my arms over her back, pressing our chests together as I curled the fabric of her shirt in my hands and tugged it up.

Bella leaned up on her elbows, wriggling the shirt over her head. She tossed it aside before she slid her hands under the hem of my shirt and helped me take it off. I skimmed my fingers over her ribs when we laid back down, outlining the raised lines of her tattoo as her lips moved slowly with mine. I felt her smooth skin, touching the tips of my fingers to her curvy sides and the two small dimples that punctuated her lower back.

Her hands explored me in return, gripping my hair and my shoulders, cradling my face, trailing down my chest. I was uncomfortably hard by the time Bella's warm hand cupped the front of my jeans and rubbed slow, tantalizing circles over the strained denim. I lifted my hips toward her touch, urging her closer, to feel her skin-to-skin, when a strangled whimper fell from my lips.

She broke away from the kiss – her breaths labored – and her sweet, brown eyes found mine. I looked at her, lips parted; watching her lustful expression as her thin fingers gently stroked my length, curling slightly around the head before she travelled back upward. I moaned quietly, slipping one hand underneath the stretchy fabric of her pants and using the other to bring our mouths back together.

I kissed her hard, darting my tongue into her mouth, roughly kneading her bare ass. She squirmed on top of me, pressing more firmly against my cock through my jeans, causing my hips to buck into hers. I slid my hand further, drawing down her skin-tight pants until they were bunched around her thighs. She leaned off me for a moment, tugging them from her legs in less time than I had to undo the button and zipper on my jeans.

When Bella had stripped down to her bra and underwear, she climbed back on top of me, reclaiming her place. She snaked her hand into my jeans, beneath my briefs, ghosting her fingers over the trail of hair that ran from my naval to my groin. She teased me, grazing the base of my erection, rubbing the tip of her thumb up my shaft, brushing her soft lips against my neck and ear.

It was almost too much to handle.

"Bella," I whispered in mild warning, "you're not playing very nice."

She slipped her hand further inside my jeans in response, gripping me in her hand. I moaned at how warm she was and she chuckled softly, "Someone's eager." I simply nodded in agreement and she kissed me, murmuring, "I couldn't stop thinking about you last night – how much I wanted to kiss you...and touch you." I clutched her thong in my fingers and she continued, "The first thing I thought when I saw you yesterday was...wow."

Her eyes were honest and sincere, and full to the brim with lust as she slowly pumped me in her hand, squeezing the hard flesh. I lowered her thong, taking controlled breaths as she obligingly lifted her hips and slid them from her legs.

"When we met," I said as she resituated herself, "all I could think about was how beautiful you were – sexy...and flustered. I thought I was crazy for wanting to kiss a complete stranger." I opened my mouth to say more, but she distracted me. She deftly pulled my cock from my jeans, swiping her thumb across the moist, swollen head, skewing my train of thought.

"Oh, fuck," I said instead, "that's..."

I couldn't think of a word to accurately describe what I felt, so I decided zipping it was my best option.

I tipped my head back, losing myself in the sensations and groaning when she quickened her pace. I reached between us, sweeping my fingers over her smooth, hairless skin. She pressed her hips into my hand in response, resting her forehead against mine when my fingers felt how warm and wet she was. Her sweet breath – a mixture of vanilla and alcohol – assaulted me, and I nipped at her bottom lip, listening to her wanton whimper as I slowly circled my fingers around her entrance and slipped them inside her.

We took our time, feeling each other, touching, trying to decipher what the other liked and didn't like. The rest of our clothes came off in the exploration, skin on skin, the warmth of our bodies building the raw tension between us. Bella came first, clenching around my fingers, her lips parted in a sultry moan and her gorgeous face contorted in ecstasy.

I wanted so badly to last forever, to spend the entire night with Bella on her couch, but my orgasm threatened me much too soon. I quickly halted her movements, murmuring lowly, "Bella, I'm going to cum if you keep doing that."

Her eyes met mine, the lust and satisfaction apparent in her gaze. "That's the point," she replied breathlessly.

I gave her a lazy smile and said, "But, don't you want to..." I trailed off suggestively, and when she bit her lip, averting her eyes, I knew she was hesitant. "Hey, look at me," I commanded softly, "we don't have to."

When she did as I asked, she responded, "Are you sure? I mean, I thought I was ready, and I _do_ want to, believe me, but...I just...I don't know. Maybe we should wait."

I shook my head, gently cupping her cheek in my hand as I kissed her. "Bella, whatever you want," I told her honestly, "we can wait. But, just...please...do something about that." I nodded to my cock, insistently pressing against her stomach, and she chuckled.

"I guess I can take care of that," she said with a seductive smirk.

And then she sat up on her knees, pushed me back onto the couch, and took me in her mouth. I gasped at her audacity, threading her hair through my fingers as her head bobbed up and down. I couldn't think of anything but how her mouth felt around me, and when dark, brown eyes looked up at me from under long lashes, I lost control. I came, feeling the tensing of muscles and the twitching of limbs, and Bella slowed her movements, swallowing each spurt as she slowly raked her fingernails over my abs and hips.

I smoothed her hair from her face, angling my head so I was looking down at her. She returned my gaze, releasing me from her mouth as she licked her lips and used her fingers to wipe off a little excess saliva. She crawled back up to me, lightly pecking me on the cheek and giving me a cute smile.

"Bella, you didn't have to do that," I said with gratitude, "but..."

"You liked it," she retorted playfully.

I chuckled, "I think that's...an understatement." A yawn interrupted me, and Bella yawned as well, covering her mouth with her hand. "Tired?" I asked. When she nodded, I sat up slightly. "Well, let's go to bed then," I suggested with a shrug.

She seemed to contemplate it for a second before she sighed, "Okay."

Bella clambered off me and gathered her clothes, holding them tightly to her chest as she bounded off the couch and disappeared behind the closed curtain. I smirked at her retreating form (not to mention her sexy, petite ass), and slipped on my briefs before I headed to the bathroom. I relieved myself and then washed my hands, and since I was staying the night and hadn't brought a toothbrush, I made use of the mouthwash sitting on the countertop.

The curtain to Bella's room was pulled back when I was done. She had changed her clothes and was sitting on her bed, wearing a turquoise pair of boy shorts and a white t-shirt. Her hair was wavy and slightly disheveled, but it only made me want to kiss her again.

I padded over to her, smiling as I approached. She smiled back, motioning to the bed, "Make yourself comfortable, okay, I just have to lock up and use the bathroom."

Bella returned a few minutes later. I was already cozy in her bed, and she closed the curtain before she climbed in next to me. She pulled the blankets up around her waist, snuggling into my side as I curled my arm around her shoulder, allowing her to lay her head on my chest.

"You're so warm," she said sleepily.

I chuckled, rubbing my hand over her arm. "So are you," I replied, "want me to turn off the light?"

She did nothing but yawn in response, so I figured that was more or less a 'yes'. I leaned over, flicking off the bedside lamp, submerging us in almost total darkness. A dull glow of moonlight shone through the drapes, not enough to brighten the room, but enough for me to be able to make out the form of Bella beside me.

I slumped down further, feeling the movement on the bed as Bella shifted with me.

"Goodnight, Edward," she said into my chest.

I pressed a kiss to her hair, murmuring, "Goodnight, Bella."

**A/N: I hope you guys don't mind the slow pace we have for the updates. We both have a whole lot of RL business going on lately so we're moving at a slow but steady pace. In trade, we promise to keep the angst at a bare minimum and the fluffy lemons coming! Outfits are on my profile. **


	5. Greed

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, yet again. RL continues to be a wee bit insane for the both of us! I think you guys will enjoy this chapter though. Hopefully it was worth the wait!**

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_When you came in the air went out._

_And all those shadows there filled up with doubt._

_I don't know who you think you are,_

_But before the night is through,_

_I wanna do bad things with you.__  
_

_I don't know what you've done to me,_

_But I know this much is true:_

_I wanna do bad things with you._

_I wanna do real bad things with you_

_Bad Things-Jace Everett_

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**b.p.o.v.**

I woke up, trying to figure out why my blanket seemed to me smothering me. All I knew was that I was warm. Really warm. Just as I tried to kick the intertwined, borderline-strangling blanket away, I realized it was breathing.

Edward.

The previous night flashed through my mind. My asking Edward to come over in the middle of the night, followed closely by me shutting him down, yet again. The thought had me groaning and covering my crimson cheeks. I mean, not that he didn't enjoy the third base progression we _did_ wind up doing, but hell. Could I lead the man on any more?

I cautiously peeled my fingers from my eyes and snuck a glance at the man sleeping next to me. He looked peaceful, and pretty much amazing in the orange hued light caused by the rising sun. A smattering of stubble covered his chin, and I had to hone in my will power not to reach out and touch it, to feel the short, rough hairs graze my skin…

Ugh, why had I stopped him?

Oh, right. I chickened out. Again.

I had been so concentrated on showing him I wasn't the elevator hussy I seemed to be on the day we met. I had done what I did, just to prove to him I was better than that, but after everything, he probably thought I was _exactly _that – a hussy. I was ridiculously confused, trying to get a handle on my feelings and what I _should _do, but when I felt Edward's arm tighten around my waist as if he were reading my mind, I couldn't think of a single reason to ever say no to him.

I leaned back and gave in to the yearning to touch the soft stubble. I slowly moved down to his neck, his collarbone, his subtly sculpted chest and stomach. When I heard his quiet moan, I took that as a green light and replaced my fingers with my lips.

I inched back up, laying gentle kisses along my trail. Ending on his neck, I took my time and alternated between licks and nibbles, slowly waking him up.

"Hmm…morning beautiful," he croaked out with an incredibly sexy morning voice, "what time is it?"

"Far too early to be awake," I replied, dragging my lips up to his prominent jawline.

He hummed again, and I felt his jaw shift into a smile. I continued my assault until I found his earlobe and took it between my teeth. With another groan, Edward's hands gripped my waist and pulled me on top of him.

"I think I could get used to a wake-up call like this," he said, pressing his already hard crotch into me.

"On second thought," I whispered into his ear, "maybe we should wait until we're both more awake. I don't want to take advantage of you in such a condition." Smiling, I pretended to lift my leg and make my way back to my side of the bed.

"Oh, I don't think so." Edward growled and spun me over so he was hovering on top, my legs parted by his waist. His lips made their own trail, then, starting at my temple and pausing at my ear.

"Bella…tell me to stop, now, or I don't think I'll be able to," he said in a rough voice, continuing down to suck and nip at the dip of my shoulder. My breathing changed with his admission, and with the realization his hands were slowly drifting toward my hips.

This was going to happen. Now.

"Don't you dare," I said decidedly, emphasizing my words with a hook of my leg around him. I pulled his hardness against the thin layer of my boy shorts covering me, and he hissed, letting his fingers graze the seam, centimeters from my clit. I bucked against him, silently begging him to keep going.

Either answering my pleas or in pure anticipation, Edward dipped his hand lower to meet my wet center. His other hand pulled at the collar of my shirt, far enough that it fell down my shoulder, revealing my breast. He blew a soft breath over the receptive skin, causing my nipple to harden for him before he took it into his warm mouth.

"Oh my…fuck," I breathed, arching my back into him. "That feels fucking….good, Edward."

I felt his teeth, then, biting on my nipple, sucking ever so softly, making me cry out from how damn _amazing _it was.

"I love that dirty fucking mouth of yours, Bella. Have I told you that?" he asked, releasing me from his mouth long enough to blow another spine-tingling breath across my wet skin.

"I'm kind of fond of yours at the moment, too," I replied. I closed my eyes and nibbled on my bottom lip, attempting to contain my body's reactions as those magic lips of his danced across my torso, placing strategic kisses all the way down to meet his fingers that had yet to stop massaging my clit.

And when his mouth met the dip of my hip bone, he gathered my underwear in his hands, peeling them down at an agonizing pace

This man knew exactly what to do to make me writhe.

"Now who's not playing nice?" I asked, kicking the flimsy material off the edge of the bed.

"I think I owe you a little payback, don't you?" Edward spoke with a crooked smile that was sexy beyond all words, and lowered himself back down to me. Before I had a chance to think about his implications, I felt his warm, wet tongue run the length of my pussy, stopping at my clit while his bottom teeth followed closely behind.

"Fuck!" I screamed out, planting my hands in his hair and gripping tight. His tongue circled the sensitive bud, causing me to drip in arousal with every pass. One of his hands grasped my thigh, pulling me in closer to him, while the other was placed firmly at the bottom of my stomach.

Feeling my orgasm approaching fast, I arched my back and sat up, tugging on his hair so he would look up at me.

"Please…I-I can't wait anymore," I punctuated my needy request with an assault on his mouth. He returned the fevered kiss and guided me back onto the pillows. I could taste myself on his lips. Any thoughts on morning breath were clearly out the window at this point.

I reached down, pulling at his briefs as best I could without breaking contact at our mouths. He finished the job and broke away from me long enough to look into my eyes for any signs of rejection.

How was I able to resist this before? As I let my fingers fall down his stomach, I nodded toward the bedside table where I kept condoms. If that wasn't enough reassurance for him, I don't know what could be.

Leaning over, Edward aimlessly reached toward the table, looking for the handle to the drawer. In his mindless attempts, my lamp fell to the ground as well as my small clock. I giggled and covered my mouth quickly when he shot me a playful glare.

Finally, he returned to me with the fluorescent packet in between his fingers. He leaned back onto his heels and sheathed himself.

This was it. No turning back now.

I took my bottom lip between my teeth when Edward looked me up and down, and felt the heat on my skin as my entire body flushed under such a hooded gaze. I reached up and cupped the back of his neck, guiding him down until he was on top of me. His hand dropped between us, to align himself, and there was no tease or torment this time. He thrust into me, hard and fast; inaudible words and gasps fell from our lips simultaneously.

Rocking his hips, Edward filled me completely. I had known he was well-endowed from last night; hell…I had been able to tell in the elevator, but damn. Every ex-boyfriend was suddenly nameless.

"Fuck, Edward," I gasped into his ear, "that feels so…"

"Fucking amazing," he finished for me. "You're so fucking tight, Bella."

I wasn't going to last long. With each persistent push, every guttural groan from his mouth, my body ignited further under his. The ember that had sparked in the pit of my stomach had travelled through to my fingertips and circled back. Edward's mouth was busy at work marking my neck while one hand was firm at my hip and the other held up his weight.

"I'm close," I panted, "don't stop."

He groaned against my neck and pushed harder, faster.

"Come for me, Bella."

My orgasm overtook me abruptly; my body shook and my back arched. Edward's arm slid under me, across my lower back, and he hooked me to him and swapped our positions.

I was then straddling him, riding out the remainder of my orgasm. Throwing my hair to one side, I leaned down and kissed him passionately. The shakiness, the tension rolling from his muscles down to his fingers on my hips, was a sign he was close.

And was also a sign I'd probably be waking up with bruises.

I rocked my hips into him quickly, pivoting a deep groan from him every time, holding myself up with my hands on his chest. When he hit that especially delicious spot inside me, I threw my head back, and he yelled out, "Oh, shit…fuc-yes!" gripping onto me even harder and guiding my motions.

I slowed my hips, letting Edward carry out the rest of his orgasm. His handsome face was contorted in pure bliss, and if I thought he had looked good earlier, it was nothing compared to his face post-morning-fuck.

Because when he finally looked at me with his sexy, half-mouthed smile, I became undone.

I lay down on his chest afterward with him still _very much_ inside of me.

"I-I don't know what to say…" he started.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, was it too much?" I freaked out a little, moving to get up. A strong arm held me in my place while the chest I was using as a pillow moved up and down in laughter.

"God no," he laughed, "I was just trying to figure out a way to ask you to move in with me and become my permanent alarm clock."

I smiled and nuzzled into him further.

"Alarm clock? Who says it's time to get up?" I yawned and closed my eyes.

…

A few hours later, I woke up again. The orange hue was now gone and my room was brightly lit. Grumbling, I stretched out to find the space next to me still warm, but empty.

_Oh God, tell me he didn't ditch. _

Wrapping the sheet around my torso, I got out of bed and pulled back the curtain separating my room from the living room. I was met with a crooked grin and a lifted eyebrow. Looking down, I saw that I had to have looked like the most frumpy, sex-haired, Greek goddess wannabe.

I made a mental note to myself never to try and pull off a toga again.

"I thought you left," I said, pulling the sheet tighter. In answer, Edward lifted the coffee mug in his hand up in salute.

"Hope you don't mind," he spoke with the grin still pulling at his lips, "I dug around in your cupboards a bit to find the grinds."

He set the cup on the counter and walked toward me. Clad in only his basketball style shorts he wore over the night before, I had to mentally coach myself not to drool. Even his bed-hair was adorable.

"I don't mind at all. I'm just glad you are still here," I said with a smile.

"Miss the chance of an encore performance? I don't think so." Edward gathered me in his arms and carried me back through the curtain.

I squealed when I was thrown to the bed, the sheet opening upon impact. I propped myself up on my elbows, unknowingly presenting myself like some sort of kinky offering to him, because in one second, his eyes changed.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look amazing when you first wake up?"

The crooked grin left with his playful stare. I was now looking back at pure, unaltered lust. The intense emotion in his eyes had me pulling my bottom lip between my teeth and caused my breathing to turn shallow.

"I want you again, Bella." The seriousness and _need _in his voice was so overwhelming, all I could do was nod.

He silently went into the drawer and grabbed a condom.

No teasing, no foreplay. Although, the look he gave me alone was better than any form of foreplay with previous boyfriends.

He was inside of me in one thrust. Gathering me in his arms and sitting me on his lap, guiding my hips. We were fast and rough. Never slowing down until we'd both come explosively.

…

"I'll be just a few more minutes!" I yelled out at the pounding door.

"I don't mean to bother you, but…there's someone here!" Edward's muffled voice yelled back.

"What do you mean? Someone's knocking?" I asked, rinsing the conditioner from my hair and trying to finish shaving quickly.

"Well they were knocking, and then they just came in. A tiny little thing and a bitchy blonde!"

I had turned off the water mid-sentence, so Edward's increased volume just sounded funny.

"I wouldn't be such a bitch if you would just leave!" I heard Rosalie's voice snap back.

_What the fuck?_

Alice snorted and I heard Edward coughing over a laugh.

"Oh leave him alone, Rose, I'm sure if Belle wanted him out then she'd have kicked him out herself."

I groaned at Alice's Disney-style nickname for me. They used it when they wanted to embarrass me. Alice compared me to her when we first met and saw the insane amount of books I'd been trying to find a spot for.

"Maybe not, maybe he's a stalkerish freak that just won't leave," Rose replied.

"Bella…" I heard Edward's strained voice call through the door again.

If I hadn't scared Edward away so far, my insane neighbors were certainly trying to finish the job for me.

"I'm coming, hold on!" I yelled out.

"That's what she said!" Alice and Rose screamed back in unison. Pretty sure I heard Edward stifle another laugh. He'd better not be joining the dark side out there.

_Ugh. I really need some new friends._

Slipping my robe on and toweling off my hair enough so that I didn't drip across the house, I stepped out of the bathroom.

With an apologetic look towards Edward, I turned to face my soon to be ex-friends. Alice was perched on the countertop, sipping out of a Starbucks cup. Rosalie stood next to her, scowling at Edward. She had always been protective of her friends when it came to guys. I think she'd been burnt one too many times, and decided to take her pent-up anger out on her friends' boyfriends.

_Wait…boyfriend? _

_Was Edward my boyfriend? Shit, something to think about at another time._

"What the hell, you two?" I asked sternly, trying to look intimidating with my arms crossed against my chest.

"What the hell, yourself, hussy!" Rosalie pointed her finger at me. Edward laughed. Again.

"It's one thing to invite him over in the middle of the night…" Alice started.

"It's another for him to _still_ be here. It's ten o'clock in the morning! You're usually at our doors by nine rushing us out to the park or something equally as…nature-y," Rosalie finished, acting disgusted with the idea of spending the day outside.

She was right, every Sunday we usually met up with Angela for a girl's day. Well, they mostly tagged along while I snapped pictures and griped about not wanting to go to work the next day. Since Angela had all but written in the sky that she was busy all weekend, I'd completely forgotten until now.

Before I could come up with an excuse, Alice spoke up again.

"We were coming over to bail, anyway. We have to go into the shop and deal with the late order we picked up yesterday. Half of the merch was supposed to be on the shelves last week."

Rosalie nodded before adding in her two cents.

"Yep, just felt like seeing if the elevator hottie was still here. Had to get a glimpse, and all. He didn't even flinch when I tried to kick him out," she said with pure sarcasm.

Her words still had me groaning and fighting the urge to bash my forehead into the wall.

"I'll see you two later?" I asked while ushering them to the door.

"Yep," Rosalie nodded, "you break her heart, I break your balls!" she yelled over my shoulder to Edward.

"Loud and clear, GI Jane!" Edward yelled back, earning a small smirk from Rosalie.

"Not bad, Belle," Rosalie whispered with a wink before retreating after a grinning Alice. I shut the door and turned around, leaning back against it to find that Edward was staring at me with an amused expression on his face.

"Oh, we need to introduce her to Emmett like, yesterday," Edward said, breaking the awkward moment.

I giggled and walked back toward the bathroom.

"I'm going to finish getting ready then I'm good to go if you're still up for it?"

"Yep, I'm going to run home and shower and I'll meet you at the Starbucks on the corner. Sound good?"

I nodded and lifted my head toward him for a kiss. He surprised me by deepening it with a sudden dart of his tongue on my bottom lip. I shuddered at the simple action and wondered if I could ever tire of kissing him. However, with a quick but heavy kiss, he was gone, leaving me flushed and breathless.

"Yep. He'll be the death of me," I murmured to myself with a sigh before I went into the bathroom to continue getting ready.

While I meticulously ran the blow dryer over my head, I thought back to our morning. After our intense round two, I made myself and Edward breakfast. I didn't have much, but he didn't seem to mind my cinnamon and banana oatmeal. He complimented me more on my photos and I mentioned in passing how badly I needed to get in to the studio to develop more.

He suggested I do that today, and let him watch, if I didn't mind the company. I didn't know how fascinating watching me develop film would be, but I couldn't deny the fact I would enjoy him tagging along.

I smiled at my reflection.

"Well aren't you just smitten?" I said out loud to my grinning face. "You know he's going to ruin everything, right?" I asked myself. "Yeah, I know. Worth it."

I nodded at the pink cheeked girl looking back at me and left to get dressed.

By the chill in the air lately, I knew our warmer days were finally drifting off, which meant I was welcoming the November weather. The trees had finally turned, causing nature's fall decoration to spread itself beautifully around the city.

It was my favorite month of the year by far; not only for the trees, but for the winter clothes. I _loved _winter clothes.

I pulled out a snug, black sweater and light skinny jeans. Paired with small, black diamond studs and my black Uggs, I felt fairly decent. My hair was naturally a little wavy, and with the small amount of product and the blow dryer, my curls were nice and not frizzy today.

I knew Edward was probably just getting home, but since we were meeting at Starbucks anyway, I left early. I needed to make sure it was okay with Jacob that I use the studio.

Camera bag in tow, I walked the short block to my favorite, little green building.

…

"So he's coming here?" Jacob asked with his chin resting on his closed fists. He reminded me of Angela when we were kids and Tyler Crowley asked me to go to the eighth grade prom with him.

"Mhmm, we're going to spend the day developing my shots." I took a sip of my chai and glanced out the window.

"Oh girl, please no dirty in the studio! I haven't even popped its cherry yet!"

I nearly spat out my tea in amusement and shock, but nodded in understanding. "Got it, no dirty in the studio," I vowed.

Jacob smiled, fluttering his eyelashes at me, which meant he wanted me to spill. "Soo," he said, dragging the word out, "tell me about the elevator hottie. Tall, dark, and handsome? Incredible abs? Well hung?" I _definitely _spat out my tea that time, and Jacob squealed, "Oh, sweetie, tell me he's got a huge c-"

"Jacob!" I interrupted, laughing in embarrassment, "I am _not _telling you how big his dick is."

"Come on," he said petulantly, "I am not currently in the business of getting myself some, so I have to live vicariously through you. Throw me a bone." He smirked at his wording and winked. "Literally."

I rolled my eyes, but blushed, just thinking about this morning. I took a small sip of my tea and glanced out the window again, impulsively searching for Edward, and smiled when I saw the familiar bronze head of hair.

"Mmm," I said, nodding toward the window, "there he is now."

Jacob followed my gaze, and when he saw Edward, his eyes widened. He slapped me hard on the arm and I yelped, "Ow, Jacob! What the hell?"

"Oh, lord have mercy on my Carrie Bradshaw lovin' soul!" he said, ignoring me entirely, "_That _is your elevator hottie?" he whisper-yelled. "Oh…oh my…for the love of sweet Jesus, girl, you've gone and broken my heart." I just stared at him while he rambled, completely amused and a little concerned for his sanity.

"Do you realize you're getting fresh with the man of my dreams?" Jacob asked, and because he was a few octaves short of yelling, I ducked my head and blushed profusely.

"I retract my rule; please have as much dirty as you want in the studio. Only if you promise me his naked tukkus will touch every flat surface in there!" Jacob ended his rant and began fanning himself, using a napkin he had altered to look like one of those old, fold-up fans.

"Haven't we been over this before?" a familiar voice asked from behind me. I glanced up when he spoke, watching as Edward approached and exchanged playful banter with Jacob. Jacob was totally enraptured, and Edward was a sweetheart to him.

I simply gawked, looking back and forth between them like I was watching a ping pong match.

"Okay, okay, hold up," I said after a minute, holding my palms out to the both of them, "you two know each other?"

"I'm a regular here," Edward said, taking the seat next to me, "Jake and I are…casual friends."

"Well…there go my chances," Jacob huffed. He threw his hands, and the fan, up in the air, before glancing between me and Edward.

"Back on the floor, Black!" one of his co-workers yelled at him.

Jacob sighed, "Don't think you're out of all the details _now,_ Chai. You two have fun!"

Jacob stood, leaned down to kiss me on both cheeks, and went behind the counter.

Edward laughed and shifted closer over to kiss me on the corner of the mouth.

"Ready?" he asked, nodding toward his car that was just outside the shop window.

"We can walk if you want; it's just a few blocks away," I said, standing and tossing my now empty cup in the trash, "besides, I need to know how _casual _you are with our favorite little barista over there."

Jake looked up at us when we opened the door and blew kisses. Only now, I wasn't so sure who the kisses were intended for

Edward hit the lock on his keypad for the car and we started down the road toward the small loft Jacob rented out solely as a darkroom. Linking my arm in his, Edward kissed me again on the top of my head, and because it made me smile so much, I knew it wouldn't take long for me to get used to all the little signs of affection.

_Does this mean we're official in his head? _

The mere thought of that had me quietly walking beside Edward. But he didn't seem to mind, because he was quiet as well, probably thinking the same thing as me.

_What are we? Where are we?_

I knew the talk was coming soon – _that _talk. It was inevitable. With the fast momentum our relationship had gained, we had to get it all out in the open, because the reality of the situation was I had known Edward for a total of two days.

Two days?

Fuck, it felt like two months, at least, not two days. I glanced down to see our feet in step with each other's. We probably looked like a couple to everyone on the outside, and I peered around me, watching the faces of the people passing us. None of them seemed to give a damn.

No one seemed to notice that I was giving in to my inner hussy and seeing a guy who had groped me in an elevator.

"Is your camera in that bag?" Edward's voice snapped me out of my wordy, rambling thoughts.

"Hmm, what? Oh, yeah, it is. Why?"

"Do you have film in it?"

"The film I have to develop today, yeah. I think I have one or two shots left on it."

"Can I see it?" He stopped at the corner of the street and held out his hand.

"Alright…" I opened my bag and handed it to him.

He turned it on and immediately pointed the camera at my face, messing with the focus.

"Hey!" I swiped at him laughing, "I stay behind the camera, not in front of it."

Edward laughed loudly and moved a few steps back, clicking to take a photo. Peeking at the picture count, he rushed forward and pulled me under his arm, turning the camera toward us before clicking it again.

My face was burning hot from laughter.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked, snatching my camera back from him.

"I was curious if you were going to let me see it, to be honest. I'm picky about people touching my guitar so I was just wondering if you were the same," he replied, shrugging.

"Someone never taught you to share, then," I said, lifting an eyebrow to let him now I was on to him, whatever his motives may be.

We rounded the last corner to the building the loft was located in. Edward took a step back, allowing me ample space to unlock the door. We ascended the stairs until we were at the last room on the left, my favorite place in this city.

The studio was small, but it held a lot of equipment. I set my bag down and pulled the cord in the center of the room for the light.

"Here it is," I said, turning to face Edward who was leaning back on the closed door, "it's not much, but it's more than what I have." I looked around for the film bag.

"Show me how it's done," he said with a smile. I nodded and started organizing the supplies I would need. I filled the sinks with hot water to warm the chemicals and turned back to the table. "What is that?" Edward asked, nodding toward the bag I put the film canister and reel into.

"It's a blackout bag," I said, holding it up for him to see, "I need to put the film onto this reel and into this canister without the light touching it. My arms go in here and the bottom zips up."

I zipped the bottom like I explained to him and slipped my arms into the elastic holes.

"It's either this or turning off the lights to do it," I said, working on the film as I spoke.

"You look happy right now," Edward said simply, taking the seat next to me, "I can tell you love this. The look on your face when you're explaining it to me…Bella, you look stunning when you're truly happy."

Nobody had ever spoken to me like that. Given me compliments for no other reason other than they felt I deserved it. My face flushed instantly and I was at an absolute loss for words.

I smiled at him genuinely and he sat silently watching me.

…

I held the film up to the light for him to see. "See there? I just took those in the park yesterday. Oh, and these were from last weekend." I scanned the film, happy with the results. Edward seemed quite captivated with the monotone process of pouring chemicals in and out of the film canister. Even if he had no interest in photography, he seemed fascinated.

"This one here is my favorite, I think," I said pointing out one I took of a man in the park with his daughter.

Edward leaned in for a closer look, his proximity making me tingle.

"Do people get uncomfortable with you taking their pictures?" he asked, turning to face me.

"Most people don't even know I'm there. I try not to get their faces," I said, motioning to the picture, "see? It's not about who's in the picture, it's about what they're doing. It's about what kind of emotion is going to strike people who look at the picture. When I see this, I see unconditional love."

I exhaled finally, looking over to see if Edward finally had enough of my crazy for one day.

"Beautiful," was all he said.

I blushed. Hard.

"Can you print one?"

I looked to my watch and realized that our day was nearly over.

"It'll take it a little bit, so if you're game, then so am I," I said bringing the film to the table to cut it into strips.

"I'm up for it," he said, stepping behind me, "anything I can do to help?"

I finished the strips and loaded them into their holds.

"Umm, nothing I can think of. You can pick out the picture and I'll get to work." I handed him the sheet of negatives and turned to pour the correct chemicals into their bins.

"I already know the one," he handed me a strip, "third one in."

I turned back and took the strip from him and loaded it into the projector. "This time, the lights have to go out." I pulled the rope and we were surrounded by darkness in one pull.

"Woops, should have turned on the safety light first, hold on." Edward laughed and I heard him shuffling around as well. "The switch is on this wall over here…" I shuffled my feet, trying not to trip on anything.

"I'll help you find it."

Edward must have been right in my cross-path, because I walked right into him.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" I put my hands out and patted him down, looking for injuries. His arms wrapped around me, and his chest and shoulders shook with his laughter.

"Keep patting me down and we're going to have a different problem, Bella." Edward's words, his soft breath, grazed my ear and had me shivering.

"I feel like we're kids trying to get away with doing dirty things in the darkroom," I giggled, circling my arms around his waist. Feeling him around me, so close in a pitch black room, had me thinking about the first time we met.

Only this time, we didn't have a crowd.

"Role play, huh? I can get into that," he whispered, and when his words brushed my ear, so did his teeth.

"Edward!" I laughed and pushed him away playfully. "I don't think Jacob would appreciate us tainting his darkroom."

Edward pulled me right back to him and turned us around so I was against the wall.

"I don't think he'd mind…much." His hand moved down and hitched my leg up, pressing into my core deliciously. "What was that I heard him saying before?" he asked quietly, "Something abo-"

"Nothing," I interrupted, more out of embarrassment than anything, "he wasn't saying anything."

"Nice try," he mused, and then his lips crashed onto mine sloppily, probably from lack of being able to see each other. But I didn't mind. I kissed back eagerly. I doubted Jacob would care either, and so what if we'd already done this twice today?

I wasn't sure I could actually ever get enough of this man.

"On second thought…" Edward reached behind my head and flipped the switch to the red safety lights, "it is getting late."

_Well, fuck me._

"You play dirty," I sulked. I walked away from him, sashaying my hips.

"Ditto, babe."

"This is the one you wanted?" I asked, looking down at the picture coming through the projector.

It was me. The picture he took a block away from here. I was in mid-laugh with my head thrown back and my hair blowing in the wind. Not my most attractive picture.

"That's the one." Edward hopped onto the counter next to me and watched me as I meticulously arranged the settings for the picture.

I turned off the projector light and grabbed a piece of photo paper. Positioning everything just right, I clicked on the light for eight seconds. I'd become pretty good at judging exposure times. Hopefully, I wouldn't mess it up this time, since I was eager to get the lights back on before I jumped Edward and molested him right here.

The timer clicked and the light switched off, signaling me to take the paper to the first bin. Edward followed, silently watching me take the steps to develop the five-by-seven picture. When I finally put the paper into the final bin, the water, you could see my face clearly on it.

Edward stepped behind me and put his arms around my waist, laying his chin on my shoulder.

"Can I keep that?" he whispered.

I nodded. "Yours."

The double meaning was not lost on either of us.

…

Edward and I walked back to Starbucks and picked up his car. The temperature had dropped significantly with the sun's descent so Edward insisted on driving me to my apartment complex. Like the gentleman he was, he also walked me up to my door.

"So, tomorrow then?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Tomorrow." I nodded and unlocked my door.

Edward leaned in, and took my lips with his in an innocent, yet sultry kiss.

"Goodnight, Bella."

"Goodnight, Edward."

He retreated backwards with his crooked smile firmly in place, all the way until he turned the corner to the stairwell.

I stepped inside and closed the door with a soft click of the locks.

Yep. I definitely had a boyfriend.

With a sigh, I went into the bathroom to wash my face and teeth. Unpinned the curtain and closed myself into the bedroom. Set my alarm and undressed. Crawled into bed and shut my eyes, willing the night to last for as long as possible.

Tomorrow?

Back to reality.

* * *

**A/N: Hooray for lemons! I have to thank my AMAZING co-writer AcrossTheSkyInStars. Without her, this chapter would be a wreck. Most of the Jacob bit came from her. She is the best P.I.C. I could ask for! QuantumFizzx pre-read this for me as well. She's in my fav author list and if you haven't checked out her work then you don't know what you're missing! **

**Sidenote: I have two new stories posted. A One-Shot from the 100 pic competition that was held on FFA and the first chapter of a possible full length story. SiTE is number one priority though so don't worry, these updates won't slow down! **

**Also, I'm sorry if my terminology was off for the dark room portion. I'm going off of memory from my junior year photography class. If there is something that is absolutely wrong then please feel free to let me know!**

**Lastly, thank you thank you THANKYOU for all of your reviews and alerts. I read each and every one with a goofy smile on my face. I am a horrible author and I with I could reply to each and every one. I've been so concentrated on getting this chapter done that I haven't taken the time to properly thank you all. Hopefully the lemony goodness shows my appreciation to you all. xxoo**


	6. Humility

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about the lateness of the chapter. This is EPOV from my PIC, AcrossTheSkyInStars :)**

**Thanks to Claire Bloom for betaing!**

* * *

But if all of these dreams might find their way  
Into my day-to-day scene  
I'd be under the impression  
I was somewhere in between  
With only two  
Just me and you

-Jack Johnson: Better Together

* * *

**e.p.o.v**

"Cullen!"

I glanced up from the computer, searching for my boss, James. "Yeah?" I called in response.

"They need you up on the eighteenth floor," he said, not bothering to look up at me from his desk, "something about the damn copier again...get a move on."

I saved the document I was working on, closed the program, and turned off the monitor. It was the third time this particular copier had needed repair in the two days I'd been employed at Newton's. I _would _have been annoyed James continually sent me to diagnose the problem, but to be honest, I couldn't complain.

Not when it was Bella's floor he kept sending me to.

I pushed my chair in when I stood up, passed Jasper on the way to the set of double-glass doors, and caught his subtle, yet vulgar hand gesture to me. I simply shook my head and smirked, heading out the doors and toward the elevator. I pressed the button, waiting only a few seconds before one stopped on my floor.

The elevator was vacant when I entered, and as I rode up to the eighteenth floor, my thoughts drifted back to this morning.

"_Quit touching the damn radio," I said to Jasper, smacking his hand away for the fourth time, "you're driving me mental."_

"_Your _whining_ is driving _me_ insane," he retorted, "and you listen to chick music."_

"_I do not," I said, offended, "just...leave it alone." He huffed and sat back in his seat, irritated not only because I wouldn't let him change the station, but also because I wouldn't spill anything about whether or not I'd finally 'gotten some pussy', as he so eloquently liked to put it._

"_We're here anyway," I added, pulling into the parking garage of Newton's._

"_You know," Jasper said, slyly glancing over at me, "I could always just go up to Bella and ask _her._" I whipped my head around and stared at him. "You know I will," he continued, "and it'll be awk-ward." His tone took on a distinct, annoying, sing-song-like quality, and I groaned._

_He was relentless._

"_Fine," I acquiesced, "we fucked, it was great, get over it."_

"_All I wanted to hear," he said, holding his hands up in surrender, "I don't know why you make shit so difficult for yourself." With that, he got out of the car, and I made a face at the steering wheel, mocking his haughty attitude, the stupid prick._

_I cut the engine to the Audi, grabbing my bag from the backseat before I followed Jasper out into the parking garage. Other employees were doing the same, locking their cars and heading for the elevators, and in the mass of people and vehicles, I managed to find Bella._

_I watched her for a minute, struggling out of her tiny red car with her arms full of paperwork, again. She was wearing a jacket, a tight skirt that hugged her ass, and – God help me – strapped to her feet were a pair of high heels the exact same shade as her car._

_I almost lost my mind._

_I took a steady breath, trying to contain the wave of heat flooding to my groin as I dodged my co-workers in my attempt to get to Bella. I could hear an unintelligible murmur the closer I got, and when I approached her, I realized she was mumbling to herself._

_I smirked; she was so cute._

"_Hey," I said softly when I was close enough; although in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have been so quiet._

_Bella shrieked in surprise, losing her balance and stumbling backward as her mountain of paperwork tumbled to the floor. I caught her around the waist with one arm, and used my other hand to snag a few folders before they hit the ground. She moaned in displeasure at the clutter on the floor, glancing up at me._

"_I hate my job, Edward," she whimpered._

_I sighed at what I'd caused and bowed forward slightly to kiss her pouted lips. "I know, baby," I murmured, "and, uh...you know, sorry, about the mess."_

_She carefully extracted herself from my arms and ran her fingers through her hair. "It's okay," she shrugged, "I just...I don't even know why he gave me this stuff in the first place, it's not part of my job."_

"_Tell him to shove it," I replied, bending down to help her pick up the displaced papers. She chuckled while she gathered her folders, lightly tapping me on the arm to chastise me. "What? You know you want to," I hedged._

"_Yeah," she agreed, "I do. But, I can't." I gave her a sad smile, and she took the papers I had in my hands, adding them to her growing stack. "So...hi," she said._

"_Hi," I said with a laugh, "great Monday morning, huh?"_

_She gently bit her lip and looked up to me through her eyelashes. "It's better than most," she admitted quietly, "my weekend happened to be amazing."_

"_Amazing. Is that so?" I asked playfully. She pursed her lips, gazing down at her reorganized pile of papers, unable to hide the subtle blush on her cheeks. I leaned forward, drawing her eyes up to mine again, and brushed my fingers against her bare knee. "Mine was pretty great, too," I confessed._

_She shifted even closer to me, gripping onto my arm for support, tilting her head up so her lips were mere inches from mine. Her delicate, familiar scent pulled me in, but before I could turn the thought of a kiss into an action, we were interrupted._

"_Hey, good lookin', how you doin'?" Jasper's voice casually asked. I looked up, glaring at him while he rested easily on the hood of Bella's car. "I'm Jasper, by the way," he said, nodding to Bella._

_She retracted her hand from my arm, grabbed her stack of papers, and stood up. "Yeah, from IT," she replied, giving him a sweet smile, "I'm Bella...obviously." I smirked at her nervousness and rose from my knees, readjusting my bag on my shoulder. "And," Bella added as she locked her car and retrieved her purse from beside Jasper, "I hear _you _are quite the joker."_

_Jasper unhitched himself from the car, pressed his hand over his heart, and gasped, "Such a compliment, and here I thought Edward only had bad things to say about me." He winked at Bella and she giggled, holding the papers tightly to her chest. I rolled my eyes at how colourful his personality was and shook my head; Bella was right, he was a joker._

_Jasper walked ahead to the elevator and Bella and I followed. We waited in companionable silence, listening to the quiet murmurs of the other employees at such an early hour. The elevator eventually opened, and as soon as we stepped inside, the events of Friday came rushing back to me like a tidal wave. We were in the exact same position – I against the wall and she directly in front of me – and when Bella accidentally stumbled back with the jerk of the elevator, I ground my teeth together._

_Jesus, it was like déjà vu. _

_I had reflexively put my hand on her waist to steady her, but once I realized where exactly we were, I quickly withdrew it. Bella glanced at me over her shoulder when I had touched her, eyes knowing and her expression impartial. I cleared my throat at the situation, and the corners of her lips twitched up into a small smile before she looked away._

_Cool and calm._

_I took a step toward to her and discreetly leaned down, brushing my lips over her hair._

"_You're awfully composed," I whispered in her ear, slowly and gently placing my hand on her waist this time, "all things considering." I felt her body tense with my proximity, and she turned her head slightly, meeting my gaze. "Nervous?" I asked._

_Her mouth opened and closed before she minutely shook her head. "No," she whispered back._

_I smiled, glancing up at the display to find we had reached my floor. "Have a good day at work." _

_I moved around Bella, followed Jasper out of the elevator, and looked back, smirking at her beautifully disgruntled face as the doors closed._

I stepped onto the eighteenth floor and walked through the lobby. Bella's desk was vacant, but her assistant friend, Angela, was seated, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder. She lifted her hand to wave at me and used her pen to point toward the copy room; I nodded in thanks and continued around the corner.

I could see Bella through the window to the room, standing at the machine, looking completely flustered. I quietly knocked on the open door, startling her with the noise, but not as bad as this morning.

"Ugh, thank God you're here," she sighed, running her hands through her hair in defeat, "it's jammed again." The copier emitted a strange, humming noise, and Bella made a face at me. "I'm sorry...I don't know what I did, but that doesn't sound right."

I laughed, "I've had to fix this thing twice already, I'm sure I can handle it." I walked over to the copier, inspecting the paper tray and lifting the lid to what Bella had been copying. "How many of these do you need?" I asked.

"A hundred and fifty," she said, more like a question than a statement. "It's for the charity ball next month, Mr. Newton put me in charge and I-" Bella cut herself off and took a deep breath, murmuring, "I was trying to copy these invitations...to send out to all the guests, but...the damn thing is broken."

I frowned at the saddened tone in her voice and gently nudged her chin with my hand. "Hey," I said encouragingly, "it's Okay. How about you use the other one for now while I try to fix this?"

"Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly, "I feel so bad because I don't want to use the other one when this one's all messed up-"

"Bella, just do it," I interrupted with a grin, "really. This is what they hired me for. Well...other stuff, too, but yeah. They actually might need to send this one out, or get a new one, it's...ancient."

"Oh," she mumbled, glancing at the copier and then up to me, "okay." She lifted the lid, slipped out the invitation, and turned to me. "Thank you," she said sincerely, "this day has just been – I don't even...I've never had a Monday quite like this before."

"Has it been that bad?" I asked quietly, following her as she moved to the next copier.

She shrugged her shoulders, sliding the invitation onto the screen. "Not bad, just...weird. Mr. Newton has been piling me with more than I can handle, Angela's trying to help me balance everything out, and I'm getting so frustrated. But then I take a second to stop and breathe and...I'm okay. I think I have to get used to the added responsibilities, I'm still trying to find a middle-ground."

Bella pressed the appropriate buttons on the machine, beginning the process of printing her copies.

"Well, don't wear yourself out," I said in response, "do as much as you can without going insane." She let out a deep breath, gave me an appreciative smile, and nodded. "And what's Newton making you do, anyway?"

She gestured irritably with her hands and shook her head, "I don't know, shit he can't do himself? It's not so much the fact that I'm doing it, it's that he hasn't exactly _asked _me to, he kind of just throws it at me and expects it. It drives me up the freaking wall."

I chuckled at her borderline irate tone and lowered my voice, "I told you...tell him where to shove it." Bella dug her teeth into her bottom lip to keep from laughing and looked up at me. There was a tiny glint in her beautiful, brown eyes, and I smiled. "Cheer up," I added, "it'll get better."

Bella hummed in agreement and turned to the copier, watching the prints as they fell into the tray. While she was busy, I examined the faulty copy machine, trying to deduce whether it was the same problem or if it was another issue. After attempting unsuccessfully to copy and print a recycled piece of paper, I figured I was dealing with the same thing.

"I'm going to fix this now," I said to Bella, feeding the paper through the printer, "but you should let your boss know it's acting up more than it should. It will most likely happen again."

Bella laughed in disbelief and sighed, "Yeah...okay, I'll let him know."

I finished up what I was doing, made sure the copier actually _worked _for the time being, and waited with Bella for her prints. She gently collected them from the paper tray and closed them in a folder marked 'Invitations'. I smirked at her organization, following her from the copy room.

"Thanks again," she said when we neared her desk, "I could have kicked the stupid thing I was so frustrated." I told her I'd help her any time she needed, and she smiled, lightly grasping my hand for the briefest moment before letting go. "Thank you."

She placed the folder of invitations on her desk and turned to me, asking quietly, "If you're not busy this week, want to have dinner some time?"

I leaned up against the side of her desk and looked at her, admiring how forward she was. "Of course," I answered, "you don't even have to ask." She gave me a cute smile and I added, "How's tonight?"

Bella's brow pulled together, causing her forehead to crease. "Um, not good," she said with a slight chuckle, "Alice and Rose have been pestering me about what happened, yesterday...between us. I'm afraid they're going to threaten me with bodily harm if I don't give them _something_."

I sighed in amusement, "Girls...so nosy."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Were Emmett and Jasper as bad?"

I shrugged. "No, not really," I lowered my voice to a near whisper and continued, "I just...told Jas what happened and he left it alone."

"Damn," she replied wistfully, "I wish I got off that easy." I laughed at her conviction and she shook her head. "You don't get it, they're like vultures," she hissed, "and they're so persistent, but they're not even the worst ones, it's Jaco-"

"Miss Swan," someone interjected, "I take it you're making effective use of company time."

Bella immediately straightened up and cleared her throat. "Uh, yes, Mr. Newton, I had a problem trying to print the invitations for the charity ball and Edward fixed the copier for me."

Mr. Newton set his gaze on me, standing a few inches shorter – with dirty blond hair and blue eyes –and offered me an incredibly curt nod. "Edward," he said, testing out my name, "I don't believe we've been formally introduced."

I outstretched my hand to shake his and replied, "Edward Cullen, sir, from IT. I was hired last week."

"Very well," he said, retracting his hand, "I'm Mike Newton, Isabella's boss. Has the problem been dealt with in the copy room?"

I nodded. "I've done all I can, but you really sh-"

"Excellent," he interposed, "I'm sure you have plenty to do, Mr. Cullen, I suggest you find your way back to the tenth floor."

I stood there, entirely astounded, while Mike walked away. I blinked at the space he had been standing, and turned to Bella, widening my eyes at his brusque, unfriendly, nature. "What the fuck?" I mouthed.

"I told you he was a jackass," she muttered, rounding her desk and pulling out her chair. "You'd better go; he'll come back if you stay."

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, "Enjoy." She agitatedly chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked up at me, wearing an expression that said she wished she could have been anywhere else. "Text me, yeah?"

"Yeah," she said, "I will...bye."

"Bye."

.

.

The rest of my day was ridiculously uneventful. I only left the office twice; once to have lunch with Jasper and another to diagnose a problem with a computer on the twelfth floor. I didn't see Bella again after I had been called up, but she texted and IM'd me whenever she had the time. From what I gathered, Newton was keeping her busy.

So busy she couldn't take her lunch break.

I turned off my computer at the end of the day and straightened up the papers that were askew on my desk. I was just about to leave to go home with Jasper, when James caught up to me, claiming the same copier up on the eighteenth was broken again.

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yep," he said with an irritated huff, "but it can wait until morning. Maybe it'll crash completely overnight and Newton Junior will be forced to pay for a new one." He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets, shaking his head before he murmured quietly, "Cheap prick."

I blurted out a laugh, mindfully masking it with a cough. "Yeah," I agreed. "I'll check it out tomorrow."

James nodded, and clapped me on the back. "Have a good night, eh?"

"You too,"

James made his rounds, and I left out the doors, catching the elevator just as it arrived. I stepped into the crowded space, squeezing between people, spotting not a single, familiar face. I stood in the back corner, holding my bag on my shoulder while the elevator descended to the garage. I filed out after everyone and made my way to my car, finding Bella and Jasper chatting casually next to it.

"Ed, my man, get lost?" Jasper quipped when I approached. I levelled a dead gaze at him and he chuckled, "My bad..._Edward_." When he spoke, he used the same, annoying (and absolutely horrific) British imitation as Emmett.

I rolled my eyes.

"Always so hilarious," I said dryly in response.

Jasper gave me a lazy smile and tapped his hand against the side of the Audi. "Let's roll," he drawled, "I'm starving. See yah later, Bella."

He rounded the car when I opened it and slipped into the passenger seat. I turned to Bella, offering her a shrug. "Welcome to my life," I said, "I have one more just like him at home."

She laughed. "I think he's quirky," she replied, "he's...unique."

I felt the urge to snort. "Yeah, unique...that's the word." I took a small step closer to her and murmured, "So, survived another day?"

She combed her fingers through her hair, raking it over her shoulder. "Survived...suffered...same difference," she said quietly, "I'm just glad it's over. I get a tiny," she indicated a minute space between her thumb and forefinger, "reprieve before I have to come back tomorrow."

"Go home and rest," I recommended, "relax." She tilted her head to the side and gave me a look that said _are you kidding? _"Oh...right," I backtracked, "have fun with your vultures." I snapped my fingers when a quick thought came to me. "Or you know what you could do, to make it easier?" I suggested, "Drink heavily."

Bella chuckled, "Always a good way to deal with Alice and Rose...I think I'll take your advice."

Jasper interrupted, knocking impatiently on the driver's window from the inside.

I shook my head. "He's worse than a kid," I remarked, "can't sit still for too long."

Bella took a tentative step away from the Audi. "I guess I'll let you go then."

"Hey," I said quickly, reaching out for her wrist, "um...call me later?"

She nodded silently, and I leaned down, tilting her chin toward me for a kiss. Bella stepped closer when our lips met, snaking one hand into the collar of my jacket, using the other to clutch my arm. I gripped her by the waist and brought her torso flush with mine; swept my fingers gently through her hair and down her cheek; cupped her chin when her lips parted.

She hummed softly, the noise cute and soothing, before she stepped up on her toes. I slipped my hands around her waist, holding her against me, feeling the warmth of her lips and tasting the sweetness of her breath. Mine hitched when she scratched her nails against my jaw, unable to handle the instant intensity, the attraction, the passion.

I stroked my tongue against hers, too involved in her to register the insistent knocking on the window. Bella pulled away eventually, murmuring, "I think Jasper wants to leave, Edward."

I smirked against her lips. "Screw him." She giggled, draping her arms around my neck. "Seriously," I said, "he can wait...he always gets his way."

"Just call me later," she told me, kissing the corner of my mouth, "I should get going anyway." I pursed my lips in defiance, pouting the lower one, and she chuckled, "You were spoiled as a kid, weren't you?"

I smiled shyly. "Horribly so," I admitted.

"I can tell," she said in amusement, tugging at my bottom lip, "such a professional pout." I jokingly snapped at her fingers with my teeth, and she let out the cutest sound, something between a giggle and a squeal, before yanking her hand away. "I bite back, you know," she said, arching one of her brows, "you should remember that."

"Is that right?" I asked, suppressing a smile. Bella nodded resolutely. "All right," I said quietly, "consider me warned." Jasper knocked on the window again, louder this time, and I groaned. "Sorry," I murmured, "gotta go."

She leaned up on her toes to kiss me one last time before she walked away.

I got in the Audi and elbowed Jasper in the arm.

.

.

"Can you not do that?" I asked Emmett.

He chewed what he had stuffed into his mouth and frowned at me. "Do what?"

"Make such a mess," I said, gesturing to the crumbs that littered the island and floor. "Bella's going to be here in like...ten minutes." I glanced up at him after I spoke, knowing he was about to say something snarky, or insulting, or childish, or...

I knew him too well.

"Look, I just don't want it to be a disaster in here, okay?"

"Sure thing, boss," Emmett said sarcastically.

To his credit, despite being a pain in the ass, he cleaned up his mess. I continued to make dinner, occasionally stirring the simmering sauce and boiling the water for the noodles. Emmett ventured away from the kitchen eventually, taking a sandwich with him.

You know, not that we weren't eating dinner in less than twenty minutes or anything.

I rounded the island, intent on starting the salad, when the doorbell rang. I turned to answer it, but Emmett was already there, greeting Bella, draping his arm over her shoulder, stuffing his face with the sandwich. I knew he was harmless, but if _her_ expression was any indication, she was embarrassed, maybe slightly amused.

"Hey," I said when I neared them, "come on in."

"Thanks," she replied with a half smile, "so, this is Emmett?"

"And this is Bella," Emmett said, glancing down at her. "Nice," he mouthed (full of sandwich, no less) without her noticing.

I narrowed my eyes at him, and reached out to take Bella's hand. "Yes, this is Emmett, he's a twenty-seven year-old child," I retorted. Bella chuckled and stepped out from under Emmett's arm, linking her fingers with mine. "Emmett, this is Bella."

"You're short," Emmett observed.

"Maybe you're just really tall," she quipped back.

Emmett smirked. "Touché. Good choice, Ed, I like her."

And then he walked away.

"Ed_ward,_" I mumbled to myself, "they seem to forget the second part of my name."

"You don't like Ed?" Bella asked as I led her to the kitchen.

"Not at all," I replied, "do I _sound _like an Ed?"

She looked at me, examining, deciding. "Definitely not," she said conclusively, "maybe if you lived in the twentieth century, or were really old, like...grandpa old."

"Thank you," I said with a bright smile, "my thoughts exactly." She smiled back. "Anyway, take a seat if you want, um...I'm just finishing up dinner."

"Can I help with anything?" she offered.

I shook my head. "Nope," I replied, "I'm making dinner for you. Sit down, relax." She reluctantly hopped up on one of the barstools, watching me while I cooked. We talked about work a bit; I asked her about her day, she bitched about Newton. It was only partway through the week, so she was still dreading the rest of the things Newton had given her to do.

"I want to quit," she said softly, "but I can't."

"Solution," I replied, "win the lottery."

She let out a defeated breath, "Problem...that's the same plan as the rest of the world."

I waved my hand dismissively. "Eh, what are your chances? One in a few billion? Worth a shot," I said in jest. She bit her lip to keep from smiling and looked away, something she did a lot, and I turned off the burner on the stove. "Okay, done, let's eat."

Bella helped me carry the food to the table. We sat down to eat and Emmett joined us, immediately striking up a conversation with Bella. He was respectable, for the most part, which impressed me. I expected him to act like a douche.

"So, Bella," Emmett said casually, "got any hot friends?"

Ah, there it was.

Bella set down her wine glass and gasped. "Actually, I do!" she replied, "Rose...you two would be perfect together."

Emmett's face grew serious. "You're for real?" he said, "You'd set me up?"

Bella nodded, "Of course I will. You'll love her; tall, blonde, gorgeous. She and my other friend, Alice, run a shop together, cute little boutique." She glanced over at me and cocked her brow knowingly. "We should go out together, introduce them."

I smirked. "Sounds like fun."

We talked about the weekend and planned to go out Friday night; a way for all of us to de-stress and have fun. I was genuinely excited about it, not only because it would be our first time out – together – but because I couldn't wait to see Emmett get his ass handed to him.

Rose would tear him apart.

We finished dinner shortly after and Bella helped me clean up. Emmett flounced on the dishes and flopped down on the couch instead, surfing channels. Bella glanced over at him as he flicked, never stopping on a channel.

"Does he always do that?" she asked.

"Pretty much," I replied, "unless it's porn. I've learned to tune it out."

"What a dork," she mused, "I like him, too...he's funny." She set a plate in the dishwasher and added, "Where's Jasper?"

I shrugged. "No idea, I dropped him off at the bar on the way home. He always goes out for a drink after work."

Bella pursed her lips. "I know I said I'd set up Emmett and Rose, and I really do think they'll get along, you know...after she bitches him out, but Jasper...Alice...I don't know, Edward. Idon't think Alice will go for him. She's the complete opposite."

"Don't worry about it," I said assuredly, "Jasper's a big boy, he can handle it. We'll just go out and have fun, okay?" Bella nodded, lips still pouty, and glanced up at me. "Oh, who's the professional pouter now?" I asked jokingly, brushing my thumb against her bottom lip.

"Better watch out," she said, kissing my knuckle, "I might bite."

She kept eye contact with me, grazing her teeth against my finger, before slipping it into her mouth.

Warm, soft, wet.

I cleared my throat.

"I never gave you a tour," I said quietly.

"Oh," she mused, "we should _really _do that."

"Mhm," I agreed, "where to?"

She grasped my hand in hers and tugged me toward the stairs. "Your room."

So, I spent the night showing Bella my room.

Twice.

* * *

**A/N: Polyvore for this chapter can be found on my profile, check it out.**


	7. Diligence

Like the moth flies to the Light, captured at first sight

I can't deny I'm taken by the beauty in your eyes

I don't know

Is it love?

I have lost control

Even when I'm gone, I can't get away

-10 Years: Focus

**b.p.o.v.**

"Miss Swan?" Newton spoke, emphasizing the hiss in 'Miss' I looked up and raised an eyebrow. I had the phone cradled between my ear and my shoulder, more tabs up on my computer than I could count, and my uneaten lunch wasting away in the trash can. Clearly, this was the perfect time for my boss to ask me a question.

"I need you in my office." His words were flat, and he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was already doing something. I arched my eyebrows further, emphasizing the whole 'I'm busy' thing, and pointed to the phone.

"When you're done, then," he said over his shoulder, slamming the door shut.

"Dick..."

"Excuse me?" the voice on the other end of the line asked. I had completely forgotten I was on the phone with one of our biggest authors.

"Oh God! No, not you, Mr. Laurent, I was, um..."

His throaty laugh interrupted my scramble, "Ah, please! It's refreshing to hear such a candid moment with all the stuffy assistants around that place." Then he lowered his voice, "Especially if you were talking about Newton." I laughed with him, feeling more at ease about my slip. "So, what can I do for you, Miss Swan?"

"I was just calling to confirm your seats at the ball next month," I said, scrolling to his name.

"Of course," he laughed again, "we'll be there. Put me down for plus two."

"Fantastic," I said with a relieved smile, "thank you for your confirmation. We'll see you next month, Mr. Laurent."

I'd anticipated the plus two; he usually brought two dates to our events, so there weren't any problems there. He was our most famous mystery writer. All of his books were from a woman's point of view, and every girl was the heroine. This, combined with his tall, dark, and handsome complex, guaranteed a blonde on each arm. He also happened to donate more than most of our other guests and clients combined.

The exact second I hung up the phone Mr. Newton's door opened again. I didn't even wait to hear his demand. I stood and walked into his office.

"Have a seat, Miss Swan," he said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "I have some things I'd like you to get done before the work day is over."

I sobered at the severe expression on his face.

He couldn't be serious.

"Mr. Newton, it's already half past four. I barely have enough time to finish the tasks you gave me this morning," I replied earnestly.

"And whose fault is that?"

I pursed my lips in irritation; that son of a bitch.

"With all due respect –"

"Our venue fell through," he interrupted, "the hotel is doing emergency renovation a week before the gala. We won't have enough time to plan around that. I need you to check out the places I've listed for you here." He ignored the look of complete and utter rage on my face and handed me a folder.

"And book us another grand conference room before Monday," he continued, "they are all relatively similar, so get the best price for the shortest notice. Also, I need you to be in charge of making the transition smooth. You should already have the contacts for the caterer and entertainment, and of course, the guests."

I honestly thought my jaw was going to unhinge and hit the floor.

"Again, I need this completed by Monday. Tie every string, dot every 'I'." When I didn't respond, he added, "You can go back to work now."

He leaned back in his chair, swivelling slightly. The smugness seeping from him was sickening; I could barely stand it. I got up and moved toward the door.

I opened my mouth, willing the words to come out. But they didn't. I needed this fucking job. It was either this bottom-of-the-barrel job, or a one-way ticket back to my Podunk hometown in Washington. Fish fries, trees, and a nine-to-five at the sporting goods store.

What a fucking life.

Instead of risking what I had, I told him I was leaving early and spun on my heels so fast he couldn't protest my retreating form. Angela caught my eye as I grabbed my bag from the bottom drawer of my desk. Her gaze was questioning, but I shook my head. This wasn't the time or the place.

"Later," I mouthed to her.

I half-ran half-walked to the elevator and start texting Edward.

**I'm leaving early, see you tonight?**

I pressed 'B' for basement. In my mind, the faster I could get to my car, the better. I almost sprinted to my little, red beater when the doors finally dinged open. I needed the day to be over. It needed to be wiped from my mind completely. I'd tackle my new, ridiculous assignment tomorrow. As for right now, I needed out before I went all Milton on this place and burned it to the ground.

My phone buzzed on my lap on the drive home.

**Can't wait. See you around 8.**

I made a sharp right two blocks before my apartment complex. It had suddenly dawned upon me the exact place I needed to be.

I parked the car in the half-deserted lot and grabbed my black bag from the backseat. Abandoning my shoes and taking off my nylons in the car, I stepped out into the fall air. The grass felt soft and cold. Not unbearable, but soothing.

The park.

With my camera bag slung on my shoulder, I started towards the pond.

.

.

.

Rosalie handed the cabbie a twenty, and we piled out onto the busy sidewalk in front of the Martini Lounge. Alice and Rosalie had dragged me and Angela here the first weekend after we'd met, and we'd been coming here ever since. Rose had dated the manager a few years back, but after three short months, they had decided to stay friends.

On the plus side, it got us in the door whenever we wanted.

"Looking beautiful as ever, ladies!" Aro, the doorman, greeted us. Rose pecked him on the cheek and told him about our guests meeting us here. I was glad she mentioned it to him, because lord knows if Edward and the guys had to wait in line, they'd never make it in.

Aro lifted the rope for us after we said our 'hellos', and as I expected, a few angry people in line voiced their opinions on that.

"Yeah, yeah," Aro yelled back, "keep bitchin' and you're never goin' in! Got that?" The crowd quieted instantly, and although he wasn't directing it at me, I shut up anyway. No wonder he managed the door. I wouldn't try to get past him if someone paid me.

I turned toward the door, and sidled up to Angela as she hooked her arm through mine.

"You good?" she asked discreetly.

I nodded, "Yeah. But I'm not thinking about anything work related until tomorrow, no earlier than noon. I'll talk to you about it then."

She nodded back, and I was happy that she was satisfied with my answer, because there was no way I'd be able to delve into it now. Not without losing my mind. After two hours of snapping pictures at the park this afternoon, I had felt immensely better about the load Newton had abruptly dumped on my shoulders. I decided, after some methodical photo taking, that it wouldn't do me any good to stress about it today.

Not that there was much I'd be able to get done on a Friday afternoon. Tomorrow I'd check out the venues and go from there.

At this point in the week, and after everything that had happened, I just couldn't wait to see Edward. We had been seeing each other two weeks today, but it didn't feel like two weeks, it felt like two years. In such a short amount of time, he'd managed to get completely under my skin and knock down every, single wall I'd put up around myself when I'd moved to the city. It was...astounding. The only other people who had done that were Alice and Rosalie.

Edward knew me, my strengths and my faults, he got me, and he liked me anyway.

If only my work was as good as my new relationship, life would be perfect.

When we got inside, Rosalie led us upstairs to the full bar and lounge section of the club. For being downtown New York, this place was huge. The lower level was an immaculate dance floor, with a small stage for the live bands and a small bar. Upstairs, where we usually began our nights, was a full circle bar, surrounded by tables set for four.

The walls were a creamy white, etched with a crisp white Victorian design. It was cleaner than any other bar or club I'd ever been to. During the day, I imagined no one would know it was a club until the lights were turned down and the band began to play.

The girls and I weren't sitting long before I spotted Edward's copper hair at the top of the staircase. I watched him walk up the steps, followed closely by Jasper, Emmett, and Ben. Angela squealed like ten year-old girl, and practically skipped over to them, planting a kiss right on Ben's overwhelmed lips.

I laughed at her adorable behaviour, and stood up, letting my eyes stray to Edward. His sexy, crooked grin was in place while his gaze roamed over the outfit I had purchased this afternoon at Rose and Alice's boutique. I had often been told my best features were my legs, so naturally, I chose a short black and grey lace dress, paired with black stiletto heels.

Edward, being the mind reader he must have been to coordinate so well with me, wore a button up grey shirt and slacks.

"Hey, beautiful," Edward murmured, leaning down to plant a small, soft kiss on my jaw line, "I missed you."

I smiled. "It's barely been six hours, Romeo," I retorted, wrapping my arms around his torso and pulling myself tightly against him. "But I missed you, too," I admitted. He gently touched his lips to mine, warm and comfortable, and I sighed, "Okay, ready to start the blind date massacre of twenty-ten?" I asked. I gestured to Jasper and Emmett, who were at the bar ordering drinks, and then looked at Alice and Rose, who already seemed bored. They were spinning the melting ice at the bottom of their drinks with their sipping straws.

Oh, this was going to be good. Rosalie bored was not someone to fuck with.

"You know what I say?" Edward replied, "I say we introduce them, and then hightail it downstairs with Angela and Ben." I chuckled at how ready he was to abandon them. "What?" he laughed, "I just don't to be a part of World War Three, okay? Let's go dance with Ben and Angela. They're already shaking their asses borderline inappropriately down there."

I craned my neck and looked over the railing. Sure enough, Angela's dress was hiked at least two inches higher than it had been ten minutes ago. Ben's face was tucked into the crook of her shoulder. Even if I was watching my childhood friend get freaky on a dance floor, I couldn't help but smile. She looked so blissfully happy; our lives were almost identical.

Inhaling deeply, I nodded up at Edward. He had the right idea.

I turned to the table as Jasper and Emmett approached.

"Alice, Rosalie," I said to them, gesturing toward the guys, "this is Emmett, and Jasper. They're Edward's roommates."

Alice and Rose stood up, giving Jasper and Emmett their polite smiles, holding their hands out to be shaken. I could already see the skeptical look on Alice's face, and the smouldering look on Rose's. I pursed my lips to keep from laughing, because I knew how awkward and amusing this was going to be.

I kind of wanted to stay, but my need to dance uninhibited with Edward was even greater. So, we left the four of them to get acquainted, and went downstairs to dance.

"Do you want something to drink first?" Edward asked as we stood between the bar and the dance floor.

I shook my head and linked his fingers with mine, tugging him toward the plethora of bodies writhing to the upbeat music. A local cover band was on stage, and judging by the size of the crowd, they seemed to have a decent following.

I held Edward's hand above my head and shook my ass toward the center of the floor. The steam machines had been turned on, wafting smoke in waves around our knees, the overhead lights had been dimmed, and the floorboard lights were flickering between red and white, changing the hue of the smoke.

Sexy and mysterious.

The band began playing a different song, and it took me a minute to recognize it, because it was normally R&B.

Edward took my hand and spun me around, my back now to him.

I lifted my arms up and dropped them to encircle the back of his neck. The lyrics infiltrated me, and my hips pushed back into him then swayed to the beat.

_Own me_

_To control me_

_Come closer_

_Come closer_

I could feel him, hard and straining through his pants, against my backside. I bit my lip and responded, pushing my hips back even harder, coaxing him to continue.

_And I just can't bring myself away_

_But I don't want to escape_

_I just can't stop, I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop, I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop._

His hands rested on my thighs, warm and soft against my skin, tightly holding me as we danced. With the quick beat of the music, they travelled up, teasing and taunting, slipping subtly beneath the hem of my dress.

I curled my fingers into his hair at his boldness, and tilted my head to nip at his throat.

"Fuck, Bella, if you keep doing that I'm going to have to find a dark corner somewhere."

The crowd around us had disappeared, as well as my sour mood.

I smiled, and diligently wiggled my hips back. His lips found my earlobe; after a few wet kisses, he whisper-sang the next few lines.

_I can feel her on my skin_

_I can taste her on my tongue_

_She's the sweetest taste I've seen_

_The more I get, the more I want._

We only lasted two and a half songs.

When Edward brushed his fingers over the crotch of my dampened panties, and hungrily kissed my neck, I shivered, taking his hand before I attacked him in the middle of the dance floor. It was time to find that damn dark corner.

But before I could take a step toward the back, Alice snapped me out of my haze of lust.

She stared at me for a second, and by the look on her face, she may as well have been fuming from the ears. "Please tell me you brought the wrong Jasper!" she screamed at me over the music. And then I was moving, being forcefully tugged by Alice through the crowd, her long fingernails piercing my skin.

I glanced back at Edward over my shoulder, mouthing the word 'sorry'.

He laughed.

I let Alice pull me, wincing at the pain she was inflicting on my arm. I shook her off just as we got to the bathroom, growling, "Jesus, Alice, you're going to make me bleed!"

"Sorry!" she yelled back, huffing indignantly, "I'm just…" She trailed off, and walked into a stall, slamming the door shut.

I looked at Rosalie, who was standing near the door, arms crossed, eyebrow lifted. Angela was in front of the mirror, touching up her lipstick. Her reflection caught my eye and she winked. I had forgotten she and Ben had been dancing right next to me and Edward.

I blushed.

Then Alice came out of the stall, and washed her hands in the sink.

"Now what's the problem?" I asked her.

She scrunched her nose up in distaste, or maybe disgust, and turned to me. "I don't know if you're playing some kind of prank, Bella, but that guy is a pig. I seriously hope you didn't intend for us to hook up, because-"

"Alice," I interrupted, "it's not like you have to hook up with Jasper. I just wanted us to all to go out and have a good time." I tilted my head in apology and added, "He's a lot to handle, but…he's a nice guy."

She scoffed, "He's a dirty flirt, not to mention he's horribly inappropriate."

I chuckled, but tried to stifle my laughter for Alice, "Yeah, I guess he is." Alice rolled her eyes, and I affectionately rubbed her arm. I hadn't anticipated how angry she'd get. "So," I continued, glancing at Rose, "how's your night going?"

I was eager to know how she was getting along with Emmett.

"I was enjoying myself," she said pointedly, fixing her gaze on Alice, "it's something I'd like to get back to, actually."

I offered Rose a smile, because I was glad she was having a good time. I knew after putting him in his place she'd get along with Emmett.

"Ugh, fine!" Alice snapped, stalking over to the bathroom door, "but you two are coming back up to the table with us. I'm not sitting there with that handsy asshole anymore." She punctuated her statement with a tiny finger pointed to me and Angela.

"Aye, aye, captain spazz," Angela teased, and put her hand up to her forehead, saluting her.

Alice grumbled something under her breath, and led the way out of the bathroom and up the stairs; Angela and I followed behind Rosalie. On the walk up, I scanned the dance floor for Edward, squinting my eyes against the darkness in a vain attempt to spot him. When I couldn't, I assumed he was waiting for me with the guys.

Angela grabbed my hand halfway up the winding staircase, steadying herself on her wobbly heels. I chuckled at her inebriation, hugging the rail as groups of people passed us. The crowd had grown significantly on the upper level, so we blended in easily. The guys hadn't seen us approaching, and obviously so.

Jasper was clearly in the process of inserting his foot into his mouth.

He'd always been a nice guy to me. Underneath the cocky façade, I knew he was sweet, but tonight he seemed to be going overboard. Maybe it was for Alice's sake…maybe it was the alcohol. But one look to Alice told me she was not impressed.

And I really didn't blame her.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Jasper said with a wave of his hand as we pushed through the crowd, "ten minutes earlier, she's humping my leg…an hour before I let her have the real thing." He smiled a crooked grin at Emmett and made a show of air-humping the table.

Emmett shook his head. Edward groaned. Ben, on the other hand, was snorting with laughter. To be honest, I found it hard not to laugh knowing how badly Alice was about to destroy him.

Alice, who was currently a tiny, buzzing ball of fury, levelled a hard gaze at Jasper. He winked at her, and puckered his lips, causing me to clap my hand over my mouth; he was certainly being brave for someone who was likely about to get bitch-slapped.

I darted my eyes to Alice, who reached over and plucked a drink from the hands of a woman at a neighbouring table.

"Hey!" the stranger yelled. Alice threw a ten dollar bill on the table.

"Shove it, whore-Barbie, I need this."

She grasped the pink, feminine drink tightly in her hand and walked up to Jasper, wearing a seductive smile, and planted herself in his lap. Slightly concerned for Alice's sanity, I cast a worried looked at Angela. I didn't know what she was about to do, but I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

But when Alice quietly chatted with Jasper on his lap, the rest of us filled the table. I slid in next to Edward, tucking myself into his side. He leaned in and kissed my jaw, gently brushing his nose over my cheek before whispering in my ear, "This is not a good thing, is it?"

I giggled softly and pressed my lips against his. "Nope, probably not."

He smiled. "Awesome."

Edward and I quieted, sitting close as we tuned in to Alice and Jasper's conversation.

"You know, Jazzy," Alice said with a lilt to her voice, "I've been thinking…" She spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, keeping the sexy swagger clear in her raspy tone.

"Oh yeah, Tinkerbell? What about?" Jasper inquired.

Oh…oh no. Bad, bad, bad – wrong.

Alice hated when people called her Tinkerbelle.

There was another strike for Jasper.

"Well…" Alice rotated her hips into his lap, and slung her arms around his neck, drink still clutched between her fingers. Jasper's hands were on her legs, slowly ascending, cupping her dainty curves. "I'm thinking…" Alice lifted her hands, and when I saw the rim of the glass behind Jasper's head, I groaned.

Uh oh.

Alice tipped the drink, spilling the contents over Jasper's hair, down his face and the side of his neck. She stood up to avoid the mess the same second he jumped up and shouted, "What the fuck, are you crazy?"

She rounded on him, poking him in the chest. "I am not crazy," she seethed, "I was just thinking I should let you know you've completely exhausted the whole egotistical, sleazy, Tom Petty wannabe attitude." They stared at each other, and I could feel the loathing radiating off Alice.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd much rather be anywhere but here," she continued, "I need a drink and the bartender is hot. So if I don't come back, I wouldn't send a search party."

When Alice confidently walked away, Edward put his index finger under my chin and manually closed my mouth for me. I was…amazed. Well, that was an understatement. I was completely flabbergasted, and yet I was proud; she'd done good to stand up for herself.

I snapped back to the hilarious reality of the situation and chuckled as Angela joined Ben in his laughing fit. I hazarded a glance at Rose and Emmett, but quickly looked away – I was sure they weren't even aware of what had just occurred by the way Emmett's mouth seemed to be suctioned to her neck.

I wondered what excuse I would get.

Curling iron?

Rash?

Jasper sat back down, keeping his eyes trained on Alice. She retreated to the bar and stepped up on the rail, leaning over the counter to get the attention of the bartender. Jasper patted his neck with a cloth napkin, watching her curiously. He seemed like he was in shock of her actions, but when Edward cleared his throat, Jasper snapped out of it.

His quirky grin returned.

"_Oh_," he said longingly, "I like her."

.

.

.

Edward and I left earlier than everyone else and headed straight for my apartment. Even though the night had been a nice break, and extremely entertaining, work was starting to seep into my mind. I had a busy weekend ahead of me, and if my arrogant boss didn't think I was going to charge the hours, he had another thing coming.

_Hello, overtime._

Edward came into the bathroom while I was brushing my teeth and bumped me over so he could share the mirror. His reflection grinned at me, and he started his own nightly routine. I should have been surprised at how comfortable we were, but instead, it comforted me.

I loved how easy it was to be around him.

I climbed into bed and Edward, rather than going around to the other side, knelt on the floor beside me.

I turned slightly, but he didn't speak. He silently grabbed hold of the comforter, and tugged it down, exposing my legs. He gently took one ankle, then the other, placing one foot on each shoulder. I tilted my head and watched him; the soft kisses he laid on the inside of my legs, the tender touches he trailed along my thighs.

In that moment, my exhaustion fell into the back seat. I hadn't realized how badly I'd needed him. After such a week, it was the perfect antidote, and Edward was wordlessly showing me how much he needed me as well.

He sensed my tension and anxiety, but with each kiss, it melted away.

His hands furthered along my legs, ghosting across the top of my thighs and hooking into the waistband of my boy shorts. When he pulled them down, he ceased his affectionate kisses for a second to let the fabric pass.

Depositing them onto the floor, he returned his hands to my thighs, slowly coaxing them apart, causing each knee to carelessly meet the mattress. He continued his trail up my legs, each kiss softer and sweeter than the last. His lips lingered on my upper thighs, rotating from left to right, drawing the quietest moan from my mouth.

I arched my back when his nose skimmed over my pelvic bone, a plea for him to stop teasing me. He finally gave in, gripping me firmly by the hips and closing his lips around my clit. I cried in relief and let my head fall back, twisting my fingers into the sheets. I closed my eyes, focusing all my energy into the only one of my senses that mattered.

I needed to feel.

I let myself feel, sliding forward when Edward moved his hands to grasp my thighs, pulling me closer. His mouth alternated between sucking and licking, circling his tongue around the most sensitive spot and nibbling gently wherever he pleased. He brought me to the cusp of my orgasm, so many times, but never let me fall over.

I was aching.

My breathing was hard, but my voice was quiet, "Edward…please-"

He didn't require any further invitation; he pulled away and stood up, pushing his boxers down before bowing his body over mine. He went to reach for the bedside table, but I determinedly caught his hand.

"I trust you," I whispered.

He looked down at me, his dark hair falling in his eyes, and passionately kissed me, forcing me to taste myself on his lips. I drew his tongue into my mouth and gently sucked on it, hearing the rewarding moan that crawled from the back of Edward's throat.

He quickly groped for my shirt, yanking it up on one side, revealing part of my chest to him. His lips journeyed there, tracing the lines of my tattoo, kissing the roses, before his mouth closed around my nipple. He trapped it with his teeth, and I sucked in a breath, reaching down to align him with me. He sunk forward, his tip entering me, and I kept my hand on him, feeling the satisfaction when the length of his cock disappeared inside me.

And when he pulled back out, he was showing me how wet I was – I could feel it on him.

We both moaned at the sensation. Having sex with a condom was an entirely different experience than going without one. I trusted Edward completely, and I was solid on my birth control, not to mention the fact that it felt _good_.

Really good.

I shifted my hands around, running them over his shoulders, into his hair, settling on his lower back. I dug my nails into his skin, urging him to set a pace, and he took the bait. He interpreted my actions as a plea for speed, and gladly granted it.

I couldn't hold back anymore; I came hard on him, clenching and squeezing, gasping at the ecstasy of my release. Once I came down from my orgasm, Edward pulled out, took a hold of my hips, and turned me over, entering me again from behind.

He pumped fast and hard, his thumbs digging into my ass and his fingers tightly gripping my hips. I was sure I would have bruises from where he was bracing himself, but I couldn't find it in me to care. I'd endure the bruising if it meant experiencing the pleasure.

"Bella…fuck – beautiful fucking Bella…" Edward spoke between grunts, thrusting forward quicker as I rocked in sync with him, pushing my ass back against his hips. He groaned loudly, tensed behind me, and sighed, dropping some of his weight down onto my back.

He wrapped his arms around my torso. "Hell, Bella," he said while he breathed, "that was seriously amazing." He rolled over, and then pulled me up to him, tucking me under his arm. I rested my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes.

"I really fucking needed that," I said to him.

I puckered my lips, and kissed whatever part of him I could reach.

.

.

.

"Yes, I understand," I said into the phone, "no, it's no problem at all. Thank you, bye bye."

I ended the call and threw my cell onto the table.

"Booked," I groaned. "This is impossible."

"I'm sorry, babe," Edward said sympathetically. He kissed the top of my head and grabbed his own phone from the counter. "You sure you don't want me to stay and help?" he asked again.

I shook my head. "No, you go ahead. I'll call you later?"

He smiled and kissed me on the lips this time before walking out.

I was going to be working on this for hours, if my morning had been any indication. Every venue I called had been booked for months. There was no way I'd find something this short notice. I was half-tempted to forgo all efforts and look in the classifieds instead. I figured I may as well get a leg up if I was going to get fired.

I got up and poured myself another cup of coffee, and let my mind wander to the night before.

Alice making a show of flirting with the bartender right in front of Jasper.

Rosalie discreetly disappearing with Emmett.

Angela and Ben practically fucking on the dance floor.

Edward and I practically fucking on the dance floor.

How crazy busy it was, and my shock at how many people there were in there…

An idea flew into my mind, and I lunged for my phone.

I scrolled through the names and found the one I wanted.

"Hey," I said to Rose, "are you still pretty good friends with Royce? I need his number, I'll explain later."

I punched in the number she gave me, and tapped my fingers against the table top while it rang.

This could very well cause me to lose my job.

Then again, it could save it.

**A/N: I won't even go through the overused excuses of why this took my twenty years to post. Real life, blah blah blah. Would it make you feel better to know that I posted another short story during this mini hiatus? It's on my profile, I wrote it for FAGE (Fic Awesome Gift Exchange). **

**I can't even begin to thank my PIC AcrossTheSkyInStars enough. She completes me, she had me at hello, she is my other half. Oh, and she wrote a lot of this chapter. It was a much thinner, less descriptive version of what you see before she worked her magic. You should also check out her fic for FAGE. Sunshine and Shag Carpets. It's twelve kinds of awesome! Link to her page on my profile.**

**Thanks to the ever so lovely QuantumFizzx for being my beta. She even likes me after spending two days with me last week. (Even after I sang Glee songs in the car.) How awesome is she? If you want, you can help me spam her and tell her it's time to come visit me again. I miss her :(**

**As always- outfits on the profile. Next chapter will, as always, be from AcrossTheSkyInStars from EPOV.**


	8. Temperance

***blows dust off story* Oh, hey. You guys are still reading this? *Smiles sheepishly* So, my partner-in-crime and I got a bit busy, and Stranger took the backseat over the past 11 months. Aren't you glad this is such a fluff piece? I'm happy to announce that Stranger is back in the front seat, and we are ready to get this bad boy finished!**

**This chapter is brought to you by the ever-so-lovely AcrossTheSkyInStars. She and her beta ClaireBloom are two of the most inspiring, talented girls I know in this fandom. Please be sure to visit my writing partners profile, and leave your love for her on her copy of Stranger. She can be found in my fav authors. **

* * *

_Where we left you: Bella is scrambling to find and secure a new venue for work. Her boss dumped the workload on her, and she is a bit frazzled. Bella and Edward are going strong, Alice and Jasper met and the tension was thick! We'll see what thick tension leads into... *ahem* _

Chapter Eight: Temperance

"My heart beats like a drum, all night

Flesh to flesh, one to one, and it's all right

And I'll never let go cause

There's something I know deep inside

You were born to be my baby

And baby, I was made to be your man"

-Bon Jovi: Born to be My Baby

e.p.o.v

"Hey, babe," I called over the back of the couch, "what's taking so long? The movie's starting."

I heard Bella huff, which was followed by the slam of a cupboard door. "Where are the damn bowls?" she replied, "I can't make popcorn without a bowl, Edward." I chuckled, opening my mouth to respond the same second she exclaimed, "Aha! Found them."

I laughed, and turned back around, slumping down in the middle of the couch. She'd been quick to lose her temper ever since Newton had dumped a workload and a half on her. She had been busy, cranky, and a little hard to handle, but I had learned lately to take her mood swings with a grain of salt. Despite her hectic schedule, full of endless work and long nights, she had managed to save the gala by booking a nightclub that could pass as a convention hall during the day, thanks to a mutual friend she had with Rosalie.

I wished I could have been a fly on the wall when Newton found out where the new venue was. Bella still had her job, but just barely, according to her, and she was, of course, still responsible for making all of the appropriate adjustments that came with changing an entire venue on such short notice.

It was easy to see exactly why she'd been so pissed and flustered, and I was just doing my best to support her.

Bella joined me a minute later, curling up beside me with a warm bowl of popcorn and a bottle of water. I slung my arm around her shoulder, looking down at her as she stuffed a handful of kernels into her mouth.

I smirked.

After dating her for a month and a half, I had noticed the small, quirky things about her; like the way she tilted her head and puckered her brow when she was photographing something, how she hummed quietly to herself when she cooked or cleaned, her love for salted and buttered popcorn.

I had become aware of a lot in the short time we'd been together, but mostly, I was beginning to see how all the eccentricities and imperfections, the tiny things that made her Bella, made her perfect for me. Bella wasn't flawless, by any stretch of the imagination, but there wasn't a thing about her I'd change.

I had fallen in love with her, exactly the way she was.

"I'm cold," she murmured, tugging at the blanket on the back of the couch, "haven't you guys turned the heat on yet?"

I draped the blanket over our legs, and shook my head. "Not really, it's only the middle of November, Bella, it hasn't even snowed yet." She humphed quietly and snuggled against my side. "But don't worry," I told her with a slight smile, "I'll keep you warm."

She stuffed another handful of popcorn in her mouth, and replied, "Uh-huh, keep your hands off, Romeo, I wanna watch this movie."

I sighed, grumbling into her hair, "Fine, but after...you're mine."

She tilted her head, offering me a sweet, innocent smile before she gently brushed her lips against mine. "Deal," she replied softly.

.

.

"Oh," Bella moaned, tipping her head back. Her messy curls spilled out over the cushions, exposing the gentle slope of her neck.

I pushed my feet against the end of the couch, groaning in response. I sporadically nipped at her soft skin, causing her to constrict her knees against my naked hips. She pulled me in even deeper, holding me against her, making me bury my head against her neck in an attempt to drone out the garbled sounds coming from the back of my throat.

Her legs tightened – further and harder – and she twisted against me.

I felt her shudder, curling herself toward me, riding out her orgasm with a series of gasping, stuttered breaths.

"Edward," she whispered, "fuck-"

My heart jumped into my throat, and I pulled out of her the second I heard the tell-tale sound of a key in the lock.

"Oh-shit," I cursed, "they're not supposed to be home yet."

Bella's eyes went wide in horror, and I gazed down at her, just as stunned.

With more dexterity than I thought I could manage, I quickly yanked the thick blanket up off the floor and haphazardly draped it over us. My body covered Bella's, a sliver of space separating her hot skin from mine, and in our indecency, I hoped to God we couldn't be seen from the door. The only source of light came from the kitchen, and the TV had been turned off long ago.

Please, please, please, please don't come over here.

I kept my head tucked low, my cheek tight against Bella's, and breathed quietly, listening first to the opening of the door, then a jumble of noise accompanied by a woman's voice softly saying Jasper's name.

She continued to whisper things to him – dirty things – and I shook my head minutely at another one of Jasper's conquests.

Bella stirred beneath me.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her hands firm on my chest, "that's Alice."

"It is not," I countered in disbelief, tilting my head slightly to look at her, "I thought she hated him?"

"She...does," Bella replied lamely.

I wanted to snort. "Clearly."

A moment later, I heard Alice squeal, followed closely by the sound of a door slamming shut. I cautiously lifted myself up, gazing out over the couch and toward Jasper's latched door.

"Well, she seems to be expressing that hate rather strangely, if I do say so," I commented.

Bella exhaled; a defeated, exasperated sound. "What is she doing?" she asked herself, "It doesn't even make sense."

I sighed, leaning against the back of the couch as I looked down at her once again. "She's attracted to him," I said with a shrug, "one of those love-hate types of things. Wants him, but also wants to strangle him. You know, kind of like what we have."

My tone turned mocking – it was a joke – and Bella playfully gawked at me.

"We don't have a love-hate relationship," she protested, making a cute little pout with her lips, "it's all love. You don't hate to love me, you just love me." Bella blinked, realizing what she had said, and hastily amended herself. "You like me," she corrected quietly, casting her eyes from mine.

I swallowed, so struck by her words I felt my heart constrict.

"I think I like the sound of the first one better," I admitted softly.

With my words, she returned my gaze, shifting her body beneath me. The dimmed light made her beautiful, brown eyes appear darker – like charcoal – but the emotion in them was overwhelming.

"What?" she whispered.

I sat back on my heels, gripping her hands and pulling her onto my lap with ease. The blanket was woven around our entwined limbs, tangling us together even more than we already were.

"You heard me," I replied in earnest. I reached up, ghosting my fingertips across her cheekbone before I gently cradled the back of her head, burying my hand in her hair. "You were right the first time."

She dug her teeth into her bottom lip, failing miserably in an attempt to hide her smile.

"Really?" she asked. Her voice was softer than a whisper, barely audible, and her hands came up, tentatively brushing against the side of my face.

"Mhm," I hummed, craning my neck to steal a kiss, "you're so funny...and smart." I paused, trailing my lips to the corner of her mouth. "You're witty," I murmured, placing another kiss on the side of her jaw, "and sarcastic as hell." Her breath fanned out across my cheek. "You're beautiful," I continued honestly, brushing my nose against the corner of her jaw, "and fuck...I've never met anyone sexier."

I used my free hand to grip her by the hip and pull her against me, to show her how much she affected me, and sighed in her ear, "I love everything about you, Bella. I want to tell you every day how much I love you."

She dropped her head to my shoulder and tenderly pressed her lips against the side of my neck.

"I love you, too," I heard her whisper.

I smiled, skimming both hands along her sides, and slipped them around her ribcage to feel the softness of her skin, to pull her closer. My cock pressed uncomfortably against her stomach with the movement, and she snickered in my ear.

"I can see just how much you love me," she teased.

She took me in her hand, using long, swift strokes, and I thumped my head back, moaning, "I can't help it." I looked at her through heavy-lidded eyes. "Not when my sexy girlfriend is sitting on top of me," I added, "naked."

Bella's lips curled up into a sultry smirk, and as quickly as she had gripped me, she let me go, sliding off the couch and onto her knees, taking the blanket with her. My hands instinctively found her mess of hair when she eased me into her mouth instead, and Jasper and Alice be damned, I groaned – loud.

God, I loved my girlfriend.

.

.

After what had possibly been one of the best weekends I'd ever had, Monday was a cold slap to the face in comparison; a bucket of ice water tossed on my head; a pain in the ass I was beginning to

plot murder against. Of course, Tuesday was just as bad, chocked full of tech-impaired idiots on the important floors, malfunctioning copiers, and a boss-in-training I could have strangled.

Even if she was a woman.

"Edward?" Victoria – said bitch-in-training – barked.

I rolled my eyes at my computer screen, begging for another Edward to pop up.

Any takers?

Bueller?

"Yeah," I replied gruffly, straining my tired eyes toward her. She was tall, almost as tall as I was, done up in an intricate black and green dress that oddly complimented her fire-red hair. She was pretty by most standards, but her attitude…hell, it sucked.

I wanted to kick her.

"I need you to install the necessary programs onto the computers of floors…" She trailed off, gazing briefly at the stack of papers in her hands. She flipped through them before tossing a few loose sheets onto my desk. "Thirteen through eighteen," she continued, gesturing almost impatiently toward me, "get going."

When she promptly walked away – likely to inflict malice on the next employee – I sulked, sinking momentarily into my seat. I looked up, irritated, and met James' gaze across the room, lifting my brow as if to ask what the fuck?

All he offered me was a simple purse of his lips and a shrug of his shoulders.

Right.

With a sigh, I gathered what few things I needed and headed out just in time to hear Victoria scolding Jasper for slacking on something he should have done by now. I couldn't help the self-satisfied snicker that escaped me, and ducked through the door, smiling despite myself while I waited for the elevator.

I took my time with my assignment, installing programs on computers, helping out my coworkers whenever it was necessary. At one point I even agreed to create an entire spreadsheet of data for a pregnant lady – Meg – on the fourteenth floor. I told myself it was to help her out, to make things easier on her, but my motivations were also selfish.

With the way my week had started, I'd do anything to stay out of my office.

Anything to keep me away from Victoria and her never ending list of shit she seemed to be dumping on me.

I figured assisting the pregnant lady was only helping us both.

Eventually, I made it up to Bella's floor.

As soon as I stepped off the elevator, Bella herself brushed past me, briskly walking to her desk before she unceremoniously dumped a heap of papers onto it. They toppled over each other, creating a cluttered mess. She bent at the waist to pluck a few from the floor, causing the tight material of her skirt to press and stretch perfectly across her ass.

I swallowed, shifting the papers in my hands.

"Hey, Edward," Angela said to me.

I blinked, and turned to smile at her. "Hey," I replied, "busy afternoon?"

My eyes drifted back to Bella of their own volition, watching the movement of her body when she straightened and looked over her shoulder.

I heard Angela sigh, "Yep. Having our own little party up in here." I looked down at her desk, and gave her a half-hearted smile when I saw the chaos that mimicked Bella's. "I only pray we don't kill the world with how many trees this destroys."

She gathered a bunch of papers in her hands, as if to emphasize her point, and huffed when she dropped them again.

"I don't quite think Newton gives a shit," Bella said, sidling up next to me, "asshole could tear down a forest and he'd do it smiling." I rearranged my stack, transferring the papers to one hand, and draped the other over her shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "But hey," she continued, putting her hands up in defence, "it's what he wants to do. Gotta do it his way."

She muttered a few profanities under her breath, and I pursed my lips to keep from smiling.

But when I caught Angela's disproving gaze – her pointed look directed at the hand I had on Bella's shoulder – my smile faded completely.

I withdrew my arm, coughing to avoid an awkward situation.

"Well, look on the bright side," I replied, "it's almost lunch. You can take a break from...killing trees."

Angela and Bella laughed, and I smiled, moving around the desk to carefully place my folders wherever I could.

I installed the programs on the computers of their floor, taking my time – again. It was an easy enough program to install, and took almost twenty minutes total, but on Bella's floor...I couldn't seem to keep my concentration. Knowing she was so close, coupled with the memories of our weekend together, had me distracted.

After the tenth installation, and thankfully the last, I stopped beside her desk. "Done and done," I sighed in relief, "how about you? Can you take an hour for lunch?"

She tapped her pen against her keyboard, glancing up at me. Her hair was done up today, piled on top of her head in a series of waves and curls that had unravelled since this morning, brushing chaotically against her face and shoulders.

She glanced back down to the pile of ever-growing files before giving me that look I knew all too well.

"I'll grab you a sandwich."

She smiled her apologies, and then went back to the grind.

.

.

"Do we have to go in?" Bella asked the next morning.

I cut the engine and frowned. "As unfortunate as it is...yes." I unbuckled the seatbelt, tilting my head. "Just think about next week," I continued, trying to sound optimistic, "the gala will be over, you won't have mountains of paperwork to do or a thousand phone calls to make."

She rubbed her hands over her face, and then tugged loosely at her fresh curls. "I guess that would be the brighter side of things," she mumbled. She closed her eyes, lulling her head on her shoulders. "I need a vacation."

"Well why don't we take one?" I suggested, "you know, after the craziness ends."

Her brows knit together in contemplation, and before she looked at me, she let a sweet smile tug at her lips.

"I think that sounds perfect," she mused. Her eyes closed in exhaustion, but her hand moved across the console, absently reaching for mine. We sat together in companionable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"Time to return to hell," she breathed eventually, "my work's not going to do itself."

"As great as that would be," I replied with a smirk, "no...it won't." She offered me a smile that didn't quite touch her eyes in return, and I braced myself against the seat to kiss her. "Alright, let's go," I murmured against her mouth.

We walked to the elevators, passing others who were milling about the parking garage, procrastinating the inevitable just as we were. Bella pressed the button once we reached the doors, and tapped her high-heeled feet to a quiet, discordant melody while we waited.

The elevator arrived with a soft 'ding', revealing an empty space. Seeing as no one else was eager to join us on this ride, we stepped in; we were the only two people in the confined space when the doors closed.

Bella leaned forward to press the tiny button next to the 10, and when she stepped back, I snaked my arms around her waist from behind. I trailed my fingers beneath the hem of her coat, pulling her against me.

"Take a step forward if you'd like me to stop, Bella," I murmured in her ear, repeating the words I'd said to her the day we'd met, in this very spot.

She let out a cute, startled gasp before she quieted, weaving her fingers with mine, wiggling herself against me. I stumbled back until I bumped the wall of the elevator and held her close to me, flattening my palm over the high waist of her skirt.

Bella tilted her head, gazing at me over her shoulder. "I think I'll take my chances right here," she said confidently. "But I must warn you," she paused, lowering her voice, "I've done some very naughty things in this elevator."

I snickered, bending slightly to kiss her soft, supple lips. "My naughty girl," I whispered, "I like the sound of that." She hummed against my mouth, the sound content, and I tightened my hands on her waist, drawing her back further. "I want you again," I confessed, tracing a line with my nose from her jaw to her temple, "I miss the weekend."

"Me, too," she replied wistfully, "it was perfect."

When she smiled, the elevator jolted to a stop and softly dinged. Bella was quick to step away. She straightened out her jacket and combed her fingers through her hair.

"Can I see you tonight?" I asked, lunging to hold open the doors, "Dinner or something?"

She sighed, but shook her head. "Girls are coming over tonight," she admitted with a half-shrug, "drinks and dinner, gossip...something like that." Then she smirked. "Rose and I actually want to ambush Alice, though, so we'll see how that goes."

I laughed.

"Well...what about after work?" I tried instead, "Just for a bit?"

"A bit?" Bella repeated, brow quirked, a sly smile on her lips. She took a second to glance past me before she whispered, "And I assume that's code for: wanna fuck?"

I slumped forward against the resistant elevator door, nodding.

She mulled over my proposition for half a minute, but finally acquiesced. "Okay, okay," she relented when I began to pout, "after work. My place." She stepped forward, lightly taking my jaw in her hand, directing my gaze to hers. "You better make me forget my own name, Mr. Cullen."

I may have growled, or groaned, I wasn't quite sure.

"As you wish," I told her. The elevator pressed against me. "Gotta go, love you."

She took a step away from me and leaned against the wall.

She smiled. "I love you, too."

I reminded myself to petition Bella to begin every morning like that.

* * *

**I'm already working on the next chapter, so here's to having it out in 2012! *wink* In other news, anyone else going to the midnight showing of Hunger Games this week? I am incredibly stoked! If you are going, are you dressing up?**


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